Two of a kind
by confusednarutofan
Summary: Two people share a similar burden alone. What would happen if they shared it together? What would happen if instead of Gaara and Naruto growing up alone and unloved, they grew up together? Naruto/Gaara and Kyuubi/Shukaku.
1. Chapter 1

Declaimer: I do not own Naruto, some guy named Kishimoto Masashi does.

Plot Summary: This is a story about what would happen if Naruto and Gaara grew up together. This story is cute but will contain Yaoi, Hentai, and Shotacon/lolicon. Just giving you a heads up if that's not your cup of tea. For everyone else. Enjoy.

 **"Kyuubi and Shukaku Speech"**

"Thought speech

"Everyone else speech"

Chapter 1

On with the story

A small figure walked threw the sandy streets of Sunagakure, the village hidden in the Sand. Many people went about their business, talking among each other, working, or just walking towards where they needed to go, that is until they saw the figure. They looked upon the small child with a mix of fear and hate in their eyes. The village folk moved away from the figure's path, afraid of its wrath, the wrath of a small child, the child known as Gaara.

Just seven year old, Gaara walked forward with his head hung low. The small boy's silky scarlet bangs falling over his eyes and blocking his view. His baggy red pants and brown shirt hung loosely from his skinny, malnourished body as he trudged along. Gaara's father never bothered to buy the "monster" new clothes even though he had plenty of money. Silently Gaara stared at the ground, he didn't want to see the fear filled eyes of his fellow villagers. Even though he couldn't see in front of him the adolescent redhead knew exactly where he was going. He knew because he went there everyday in hopes of making at least one friend.

Once again Gaara's made his way to the park.

Gaara knew he was close because he could hear the happy laughs of the children there. He looks up and those big green eyes scan over the area. There are various structures for the kids to play on, like swings and slides. Many children run playfully about while their parents watch from the side. Gaara knows he is not welcome but he still wants to watch. The loneley tween finds a bench a good ways away from the other children and just sits there watching enviously. How he wished he could run around carefree, with friends, happy.

As he sits on the bench suddenly a green Frisbee flies over his head. He automatically gets up and reaches for it but, sadly, he is too short. Just as he loses hope, a string of sand flies up and grabs the Frisbee out of the air. It then lowers itself and sets the Frisbee in Gaara's hands. Gaara smiles triumphantly and waits for the other kids to come over and get their toy. Maybe he could join them.

As the children run over, they take one look at Gaara before stopping in their tracks. Gaara smiles and approaches them nervously; his hands outstretched offering them the Frisbee.

"Um, I got your Frisbee for you. Can I play?" Gaara asks shyly, speaking in a soft, tiny voice.

The children's eyes widen in fear before they all turn around and run away screaming. Each one runs to their parents scared for their lives. The adults grab their kids and send a glare towards Gaara before leaving the park. Gaara stands there silently while holding that Frisbee, his body frozen in place as he watches everyone go away. The little demon carrier stands there alone, he's always alone. After remaining there unmoving for what seemed like an eternity the fragile boy finally breaks down. He falls to his knees, cups his face in his hands and just cries silently to himself. The force of his quiet sobbing shakes his small figure.

"Why, why does everyone treat me this way? I didn't choose to be born with this. Why does everyone treat me like a monster?" The boy questions in a whimpering manner.

" **That is because to them you are a monster."** A deep voice replies.

Gaara stays in his hunched over position, a solemn look in his sparkling green eyes. He knew this voice well. It was the ever present voice in his head he's had since he could remember. The only thing that's ever cared for him.

"But I'm not a monster. I haven't done anything to the villagers; I have only hurt people when they attacked me. It's not my fault!" He screamed in distress, trying to convince himself more then the voice.

" **That's not the way the villagers see it. Since you were born you have always been a monster to them and you will forever be a monster to them. You have already killed and you are just seven years old. Those villagers will always fear and hate you, no matter what you do."** The voice growled.

Gaara shook his head not wanting to accept what the voice said. He has had this conversation with the voice many times, but he always tried not to listen. But every glare the villagers sent his way, every fear filled gaze cast upon him told him that he was a monster. And slowly he was beginning to accept it.

He looked down at the sand below him. He watched as it moved and flowed as if it had a mind of its own. His only friend was the sand. It always protected him. But he wanted more. Was it too much to ask for a real friend? All the other kids had friends, why not him? There could only be one reason.

"I am a monster." He admitted sadly.

" **Yes you are Gaara. But no matter what you are, I will always be here and I will always protect you."**

Not wanting to move, Gaara just feel over on his side and curled into a little ball. He continued to whimper silently, unable to sleep, surrounded by his only friend.

Night came quickly and soon Gaara discovered the punishment of staying outside on a chilly desert night. He shivered wildly, trying to chase away the cold, but even the sand covering his body couldn't warm him. Gaara finally decided that he should go home even though he knew he would find no love there. The tween slowly got up and prepared himself for the long walk. He looked around and realized how dark it was. Gaara began to shiver again, not from the cold this time, but from fear. The seven year old boy was always afraid of the dark.

Gaara began his walk, moving faster than usual. The city was quiet, it was very late and everyone was asleep by now. As he continued Gaara felt as if he was being watched. He thought it was just him being paranoid but the redhead still sped up anyway. As he moved the feeling grew stronger and soon Gaara found himself running from his unknown stalker. The adolescent boy ran as fast as he could, huffing and puffing until he ran out of breath. Gaara was forced to stop, falling on all fours in an attempt to recover. As he heaved in a ragged manner Gaara heard something whipping through the air. When he looked up the tween's eyes widened as a shuriken sailed straight for him.

The redheaded tween raised his arms over his face and braced himself for a painful impact, yet the impact never came. When he opened his eyes he saw that the shuriken was stuck in a wall of sand. The sand released the deadly weapon, making it fall harmlessly to the ground. The sand then began to swirl around Gaara protectively. As the tween stood up a tall figure appeared before him. It was dark so Gaara couldn't make out the figure's features but he did know that the person in front of him was much bigger than him. Squinting his eyes a bit he noticed the glint on the figures forehead. It was a sand shinobi headband.

Gaara knew exactly what was happening because it's happened before. Another one of his own people was trying to kill him. But he didn't want to fight, that's why everyone hated him. So he tried to reason with the mysterious assailant.

"Please leave me alone. I didn't do anything to anyone! I don't want to fight, just go away!" Gaara yelled out in a tiny high pitched squeak. His voice was filled with desperation. But despite hearing those words the figure said nothing. It just pulled out a kunai and charged.

The cloaked assassin was very fast. Gaara's inexperienced eyes couldn't even keep up with the person's movements, but his sand could. Every attack and charge was blocked by the sand. The figure was relentless, slashing and punching at Gaara but nothing got through. Gaara's silent opponent threw a hail of shuriken and kunai at Gaara but they were blocked as well. The assassin then jumped back and started making hand seals, when it was done the sand on the ground started forming around the figure's arm. The sand formed into a large blade. Soon after the assailant charged.

It got to Gaara in just seconds and slashed down on Gaara with a loud battle cry. The blade got an inch way from Gaara's scared face before it stopped. Gaara's sand now held the figures arm in a vice grip having shut forward to protect the vulnerable child. The stranger attempted to pull away but to no avail. There would be no escape. The sand then began to creep upward, completely encasing it's opponent in a deadly tomb. There was a whisper in Gaara's mind before the sand gave the finishing blow.

" **No mercy."**

As the voice spoke those harsh words the figure let out an agonizing scream before being crushed alive. Blood sprayed everywhere, some even splattered against Gaara's face. The whole area was drenched in the thick, red liquid. The redhead reached a shaky hand up and ran slender fingers across his own cheek. He brought it down and stared at the blood with a wide eyed expression. The skinny tween began to quiver in distress before continuing his journey home at full speed.

 **In a building in the middle of the village...**

A man in the formal Kazekage robe sat patiently in his chair. The room he was in was well furnished with very expensive accessories. The man tapped his hand on the desk in front of him anxiously, waiting for the news on his most recent mission. Suddenly a whirl of sand appeared in the middle of the room and when it dissipated a shinobi appeared bowing to the Kazekage.

"Kazekage-same, the assassin was unsuccessful. Gaara still lives." The ninja spoke out in a disciplined manner.

The Kazekage banged his fist on the desk in front of him, breaking it. He then turned around and headed over to his window. Looking out on the village with a blank stare the Kazekage fell into a thoughtful meditation. This was not the first time he had tried to kill his son. This was the seventh failure. Gaara had no idea that his own father was trying to murder him, but that way for the best. If he ever figured that out Gaara might lose control and unleash that demon in it's full power and he couldn't let that happen. Gaara was too much of a risk. If that demon ever got out and he wasn't there to stop it the boy could destroy the village. The kazekage had subdued Shukaku many times in the past but one day he might lose.

With every passing day the demon inside Gaara grew stronger, able to unleash more and more of it's true power with each escape. He didn't know how long he'd be able to keep beating it and feared the day when it finally overpowered him. He had tried just killing Gaara, but Gaara was just too powerful for normal shinobi. He could always kill Gaara himself but despite how cruelly he treated his own son, the man couldn't bring himself to personally complete the task. Not when Gaara looked so much like his mother. The Kazekage began to think of a solution. As he looked down at the desert village his eyes ran over a single leaf, probably blown from a dying tree. As he stared it, an idea popped into his head. A satisfied smile grow across his lips before turning to the ninja still kneeling in his room.

"Bring me the fastest ninja in the village. I have a message for Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves." He said with a satisfied smirk.

The ninja nodded before disappearing. After watching the ninja leave the Kazekage sat back in his chair, his smile never leaving fading.

 **Elsewhere...**

The Hokage sat at his desk restfully, finally done with all the paperwork for today. He took a puff of his pipe and sat back in his chair. It was hard work being Hokage, constantly signing papers, dealing with everyone's problems, making decisions between life and death on a regular basis, it was stressful to say the least. The job weighed heavily on the old man's shoulders. Sarutobi was surprised he lived so long, seeing as how he was always under so much stress. As he took a break from the day there was a swirl of leaves in the middle of his office and a masked shinobi appeared bowing in front of the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, a message from the Kazekage," The man said while throwing a scroll towards Sarutobi. He caught the scroll with ease and opened it. Sarotobi read through it once and then again to make sure he read it right. The old Kage took another puff on his pipe before looking at his messenger.

"Summon the council. We have important issues to discuss." The third Hokage ordered.

The man disappeared as Sarutobi got up and walked over to his window which overlooked the village. A Hokage must see all. He looked into the distance where Naruto lived by himself, staring solemnly at that spot before whispering sadly.

"Not another one."

A few hours later the third Hokage, Sarutobi sat in a new room. This was the meeting room for him and the twelve council members. He sat at the end of a long rectangular table. The council members assembled, waited patiently for the reason they were called. Sarutobi set the scroll directly in front of himself atop the table and turned his attention to the council.

"Today I received a message from the Kazekage. He wishes to send us a gift as a symbol of our good standings with each other." As he finished, smiles appeared on the faces of the council members. This was great news. The hidden village was one of the five great shinobi villages and this gift from the Kazekage was a good sign that he wanted to ally himself with the leaf. An alliance with the sand would make both villages stronger and deter any other villages from attacking. One of the council members saw a problem in this situation. An elderly woman decided to speak up.

"Sarutobi, this is obviously good news, news that would not require our presence. What other news do you have?" The council seeing sense in her words turned to Sarutobi.

"You are right. There is more to this news. The Kazekage sends us a gift, but the gift is his son, Gaara of the dessert, the carrier of the one tailed demon, Shukaku." Instantly their faces changed. Each one knew the risk of having another demon child. If the demon ever escaped it could bring disaster to the village. They sat there in silence before one elder finally stood up and spoke.

"I say we accept him, not only will we be in good terms with the sand, he can be trained as a very powerful weapon." As he finished, another council member stood up.

"It's too risky, what if the demon escapes!?" With that said everyone began getting up and throwing in their opinion. The room was soon filled with unintelligible screams and shouts. Sarutobi watched with disappointment, this was no way to handle the situation. He raised his hand and sternly called out,

"Silence. " Instantly the room went quiet. The council sat down and waited for Sarutobi to speak.

"We shall have a vote. All in favor of declining the Kazekage's offer raise your hand." Three hands went up including the Hokage's. "And all those who want to accept the Kazekage's offer raise your hand." Ten other hands flew up. Sarutobi looked over everyone before nodding.

"Very well, Gaara of the dessert will become a citizen of the hidden leaf village." As he said this, smiles appeared on the council's face. Even those who lost didn't care that much. One council member stood up and began to speak.

"Of-course we will have to worn the older citizens of Konoha so they can take the proper actions to protect their families from a second demon child." Nods of approval came from the others as they decided Gaara's fate.

He would be treated the same as Naruto, feared, hated, and shunned. Gaara would live alone, outcast and rejected by society for simply being born barring an involuntary burden. Again Sarutobi found himself disappointed by his people. The old Kage opened the scroll in front of him which had a photo of Gaara on the paper. Sarutobi gazed solemnly at the boy's sad and broken eyes, something he'd seen in Naruto as well. He stared at the picture and whispered in a quiet, somber voice.

"I'm sorry."

 **Three days later at the gates of Konoha**

Three figures walked slowly towards the great gate of Konoha. Two guards stood at the gates and took notice of the approaching people. As the strangers grew closer, the guards were able to make out their appearances. There were two tall shinobi wearing the traditional sand Junín uniforms, they wore white and brown striped Anbu masks on their faces. In the middle of them walked a child. This child wore a pair of dirty brown pants. Above that the child wore a dirty brown shirt with a small brown poncho over it. He wore small, brown, worn shoes on his feet. Long dirty red hair flowed down to his neck, his head lowered. He carried a stick with a small cloth tied onto it. Inside the cloth he carried his only belongings. The three made their way to the gates and were stopped by the Konoha guards.

"Halt, what is your business in Konoha?" One guards asked while stepping forward. One of the guards near the child began to speak as well.

"We come only to drop of the child. He is now in your care. The Hokage is expecting him." The person said before both shinobi disappeared, leaving the child alone with the two guards. The guards looked down at the child curiously.

"What is your name child?"

"Gaara." The adolescent boy said in a tiny voice while keeping his head down. The two shinobi took a step back, realizing the thing in front of them was the demon child. Their eyes narrowed while taking an alerted posture, they didn't want to risk any surprises.

"You will be meeting with the Hokage, move forward." One guard ordered in a gruff manner. Gaara moved past them and up to the gate, once he neared it the gate began to open. He moved into the village with the two guards following a good ways behind, not wanting to be near the demon child. The guards were replaced as they left their posts.

Gaara walked through the village with his head slightly up to see the place he would be spending the rest of his life. His father had suddenly decided that he would be sent to Konoha. The adolescent boy barely had the time to pack before he was sent off. In some ways he was glad to leave; maybe he could start over here, nobody knew about him here right?

That hope slowly dissipated as Gaara continued through the streets. As he walked forward the redhead began to notice the less-than-friendly faces of the people passing by. Many around him stopped and stared at the the demon carrier as he crossed their paths. The same distrust and fear in their eyes as the people in the Sand Village.

Gaara lowered his head, not wanting to see those faces.

 **"No matter where you go you will always be hated."** The voice spoke up again. Gaara shook his head softly, not wanting to believe what the voice said. He tried to justify the people's actions.

"I am a stranger, anyone would be afraid of a person they don't know." He said trying to convince himself more than the voice.

" **You're seven years old, no one would fear a seven year old unless they had good reason. They know you're a monster Gaara, everyone knows, you can't escape."**

"Shut-up!"

Gaara screamed out loud, and as he screamed, the streets of Konoha quieted to a hush. The once busy and loud business streets of Konoha went silent at the command of a single child. The guards behind Gaara reached for their kunai, fearing an attack. Gaara realized he just screamed out loud. He looked up and got a full look at the people around him. He saw their faces, their reactions. Mothers grabbed their children and people glared at Gaara with hate filled eyes. Gaara's appearance was unmistakable; the adults were warned of Gaara but were forbidden to speak of the demon he carried. Of course like Naruto, that didn't stop their hate. Gaara lowered his head and began to walk even faster, he just wanted…he didn't know what he wanted, he just didn't want to be there. The tween began to move even faster towards the huge tower in the middle of the city, it was getting dark.

A few miles away a lone figure walked through the streets of Konoha. It was a small figure. He wore a baggy orange jumpsuit, the only thing he could afford. The boy walked home alone after failing again to make friends at the park for reasons unknown. It was getting dark and he hurried his pace. Ever since he was kicked out of his foster home it had gotten much more dangerous for him to be out at night. He wouldn't want to run into another drunken villager. The seven year old child walked fast through the streets until he caught the sight of his apartment building, his dirty, broken down, rat infested home. He continued to his single bedroom apartment where he would collapse in his dirty, ripped, bumpy bed, and have another night of merciless sleep. The child was Naruto Uzumaki, aka, the demon child. Unknown to Naruto as he walked home something awoke inside him.

Inside Naruto's mind, there is a room with pipes running along the walls leading to a giant cage. And on the cage there is a tiny piece of paper with the kanji for "seal" written on it. Inside that cage there is a creature, an enormous creature with fiery red fur and nine tails swinging powerfully behind it. Inside that cage the creature slept, but suddenly its eyelids flew open, revealing its blood red slitted pupils. The creature was the nine tailed fox, the most powerful demon in the world trapped inside this small child. And even though it was trapped, a small smile appeared on its muzzle.

" **That chakra, it's faint but I can still sense it. Shukaku!"** As the fox said this, it's smile grew into a huge grin, revealing its razor sharp teeth.

" **We will be together again Shukaku my Love. Very soon."** It spoke to itself hauntingly before closing it's eyes again, awaiting the right time to put it's plans into motion.

That's the end of this chapter, please review.


	2. Chapter 2

**"Kyuubi and Shukaku Speech"**

 _"Thought Speech"_

"Everyone else Speech"

Chapter 3

On with the story

"Here is will you be living for now on." The third Hokage, Sarutobi, said to the small red headed child standing next to him. Gaara looked at the apartment building presented in front of him. The building was filthy and broken. Mold and rust could be seen on the walls. Various creatures scattered here and there. Gaara, reaction-less, started to walk inside the building. He had been told his apartment number. Sarutobi watched him sadly, remembering the decisions that had placed Gaara here.

 **Flashback**

Gaara stood in front of the Konoha council and the Hokage. They stared at him wordlessly until one council member stood up. "Gaara, through our generosity we have accepted you into our village. You will be given the necessities to live out your life in Konoha. You will be given a place to live, freedom to explore the village as you please, and to take advantage of all the benefits your being able to live here will grant you. The only thing that is required of you is your complete loyalty to our and now your village. When you are eight years old, you will be enrolled into our ninja academy. You will have the great honor of becoming a ninja in our village, and an even greater honor of fighting for your village. Now that you know your duties, we welcome you." He said before sitting back down. The room was filled with silence as they gave Gaara time to process the information.

" **Can you not see it Gaara? They only want to use you as a weapon, they don't care about you."** Gaara listened silently, the voice was always right. Sarotobi looked at the child and began to walk over to him.

"I will personally take you to your new home. We're glad to have you here in our village." As he approached he rested his hand on Gaara's shoulder affectionately. Gaara flinched and moved a little to the side. He didn't trust anyone. Sarutobi sighed before leading him to his home.

 **End Flashback**

Sarutobi stood outside the apartment building making sure he got in safely. He knew this was the worst part of town but this was the only place the council would agree to pay for. The exact same building that a similar child lived in, Naruto Uzumaki. Maybe they could find friendship with one other. Unknown to him, plans were already being set in motion to unite them forever.

Gaara opened the moldy door to his apartment. The door creaked open loudly as he walked in. As soon as he entered, a horribly foul smell invaded his nose. He shook his head and ignored it. He walked around his tiny apartment, taking in his surroundings. There was a tiny living room connected to a kitchen. Nearby there was a bathroom with a bedroom across from it. There was a lumpy dirty bed with a desk and a lamp. He sadly climbed into bed and sat atop the uncomfortable thing. The red headed boy dropped his pack on the bed and opened the cloth, pulling out a brown teddy bear from the cloth and hugged it close. Gaara then laid down, closed his eyes, and fell into a sleepless meditation.

Occupying the floor above Gaara a similar child slept an unmerciful sleep. Inside that child a beast stirred. The Kyuubi's eyes flung open in its cage. It's tails began to swing excitedly, its fur raised in suspense.

" **It's time, he's so close, I can't wait any longer. He's not strong enough to feel my presence so I'm going to have to speed things up."** As she said that fox began to shrink and transform. When she finished, a different but similar figure appeared in place of the huge fox. A six foot tall woman appeared. She had smooth, tan skin and wore a red dress across her slim body. Her dark red hair flowed down to her ankles, the silky strands perfectly groomed as if a brush had been run through the locks a thousand times.

There were dark red furry fox ears on top of her head. Nine dark red fox tails swung gracefully behind her in a hypnotic fashion, the long appendages seemingly shrouding the ancient demon's human form in a beautiful scarlet veil. The woman held a rather voluptuous hourglass figure, maintaining wide hips and a very generous bust size. She was young, no more than 30 years old in appearance. She smiled in a devilish manner, revealing her sharp pearly white teeth before flaring her demonic chakra. It was time to summon Naruto.

Naruto stood around in darkness. Nothing could be seen around him. He stood in that darkness, alone and scared. He's had this dream many times. Suddenly figures began to form around him. There features couldn't be made out in the darkness. All of a sudden the dark figures began to scream. They shouted and cursed, shouting things like

"Go rot in hell demon!" And, "Crawl back to that hole you came from!" Naruto stood there in agony, but refused to cry even though it hurt so much. No matter how many times he had this dream, it would always hurt. After what seemed like hours of those angry shouts, he finally broke. He dropped to his knees and began to cry his eyes out. The figures cheered as they saw his pain.

"Why, what did I do to deserve this?" The boy whimpered quietly to himself.

" **You did nothing my child."** Spoke a mysterious voice which echoed around Naruto.

Naruto raised his head but before he was able to say anything, his world began to spin. When he came to he was in a completely different place. He stood up and took in his surroundings. He was in a huge room with red brick walls. Along the walls ran grey pipes that headed towards a huge cage. His neck craned at the size. His attention then came upon a small piece of paper that had the kanji for "seal" painted on to it.

" **Come closer my child."**

Naruto curiously moved towards the voice which came from inside the cage. He could only see darkness in the cage as he approached it. Once he got to the cage he was suddenly pulled in through the huge bars by an unknown object. He let out a small shriek as he was grabbed around the waist. He flew through the cage, but fell into something soft. His body was surrounding by something fuzzy and warm. It embraced him and held him comfortably. Naruto held a look of surprise across his face before relaxing in the thing's embrace.

" **Hello Naruto, I'm glad to finally meet you in person."** She said with Naruto in her lap, keeping him in a warm embrace. Her nine tails wrapped around him affectionately, encasing the tiny boy's body in a pillowy soft cocoon. Naruto cuddled into the person holding him and smiled contently. This was a new dream, and he liked it, a lot.

"Who are you?" He asked softly.

" **I am the nine tailed fox Kyuubi, the mortal enemy of Konoha, and the reason the people of the village hate you."** Naruto pulled back his head quickly, but despite his shock the blonde still grasped feminine form.

"What, what do you mean?"

Kyuubi looked down at the boy with a gentle expression, a heavy sigh releasing from her throat before she motioned for him to look upwards. As Naruto did a scene began to play out depicting Kyuubi's attack on the village.

" **Seven years ago I attacked the village for reasons I choose not to discuss at the time. I killed many of Konoha's people and caused an untold amount of destruction. The fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to seal me inside of a child. That child was you Naruto. And to this day, the village sees you as a cursed child, a demon, because of me."** Naruto sat there taking in this information. As it all hit him, he began to shake. Not of hate but of fear. This was a demon after all.

"What are you going to do to me? Why did you bring me here?" He asked in a frightened, barely audible voice, on the verge of tears. Kyuubi looked at this child in her lap, with sorrow. She never meant for this to happen. No one should ever be put through what he's been put through. And they called her evil. She chuckled softly at the thought. Naruto began to shake more because of her laughter. She held him closer and began to rub circles in his back.

" **Do not worry child, I did not bring you here to harm you. I brought you here to offer you something no one else would."** The tanned tanned woman said, still speaking a gentle voice.

"What is it?" He said curiously, unable to stay upset in her embrace. Her touch was something he'd never experience. Was this what if felt like to have a mother?

" **I offer you a family and a life long friend."** Naruto pulled back and looked up at her face, getting a good look at her features. Most notably her eyes which were slitted red. But despite that fiery gaze Naruto didn't shy away from her sight. The woman smiled down at Naruto's hope-filled expression.

"What, how?"

" **If you accept, I will take you in as my child, and if you listen to me, I can also offer you a father. You will be cared for with love and I will teach you all you need to know. You will be my son."** Naruto stared up at her motionless.

He had given up on ever being adopted a long time ago. He didn't even know what to do, his voice was gone, and it was too good to be true. Could this even be real? What if this was all just a dream? He would just be hurt again. But he couldn't pass this up. Even if it was a dream, he had to take a chance. Her being a demon, a killer, the most feared being he knew; none of that mattered to the 7 year old boy. He just wanted...he just wanted someone who didn't hate him. He wanted someone to love. Nothing else mattered. He rested his head against her chest, and hugged her tight.

" **Is that a yes, Naruto?"** Kyuubi asked while releasing another sultry chuckle when watching his adorable behavior.

He silently nodded into her body. Kyuubi smiled before flaring her chakra. A red swirl of chakra encircled them, but Naruto stayed still. It then launched itself towards the bars of her cage, and into the sealing paper. It engulfed the paper but was soon distinguished by a blue force field emitted by the paper. After the force field lowered, a quarter of the paper was burned off. Kyuubi looked at it with a satisfied smile. Naruto's acceptance of her had weakened the seal. If she played her cards right then she could be free. Naruto looked up at her questioningly.

"What did you do?'

" **I have weakened the seal. I will now be able to communicate through your mind when you are conscious. Speaking of consciousness, it is time for you to wake. You have slept well into the afternoon."** Kyuubi stated with a warm smile crossing her lips.

"Will I see you again?" Naruto asked, that hopeful expression again glistening across his bright orbs. In response to hearing his question Kyuubi leaned down to place a gentle kiss against his forehead.

" **Child, I will always be with you. Now it's time to wake up Naruto."** As she said this Naruto was pulled away from Kyuubi and through the cage. He reached out for her only to be continuously pulled away by an invisible force. His eyes flew open and he quickly sat up in his bed. The sun shined brightly in his face. He looked around and sighed sadly.

"It was all just a dream. But it felt so real." He sat there and gripped his cover in a vulnerable way, his little body beginning to shake again.

"Kyuubi." The boy whispered in a desperate manner, a sinking feeling forming in chest at the idea of his hopes being so thoroughly crushed.

" **You rang?"** Came a sultry voice which appeared to echo inside of Naruto's head. Naruto jumped up on his bed and looked around frantically in surprise.

"Who's there!?"

" **Silly child, did you listen to nothing I said. I will always be with you. I am speaking to you from inside your head. You can talk to me with just your thoughts."** Naruto listened to the voice before freezing and realizing that his dream was true. A huge smile appeared on his face and he started jumping around on his bed happily. The 7 year old flung around wildly while laughing in a way he never had before. Naruto didn't remember even being this excited about anything. Kyuubi watched his antics with a heartwarming smile before getting down to business.

" **Naruto, I know you are excited but we have some matters to take care of. Remember, we need to find your new father."** Naruto sat down with his legs crossed with a huge smile on his face.

"What do you want me to do Mother?"

A few miles away, a small red headed child approached Konoha Park. Inside the park, children played and ran about wildly. They played various games and just enjoyed their childhood. The child approached the park with slightly more hope than usual. Maybe he could make some friends.

" **Don't get your hopes up Gaara."** The voice inside his head warned.

"I have to try." Gaara whispered in a somber tone. The voice became silent. The owner of the voice watched, already knowing the outcome of Gaara's attempt to make friends.

Gaara slowly walked into the park watching the happy children enjoy their day. He kept his head down and brought little attention his way. It helped when you weren't being followed by two shinobi. He walked around for a while trying to build the courage to speak to someone. Just as he was about to give up, an opportunity flew his way. A small red Frisbee flew through the air. This time it flew straight at him. He turned his attention to the Frisbee and in a panic; he put his palms in from of his face and closed his eyes. When he felt something hit his palms, he closed his fingers around the thing and opened his big bright green eyes. Gaara had caught the Frisbee with no help from the sand, and kids were now running over to him.

"Wow nice catch, what's your name?" One kid asked with many others at his side. Gaara stared at the kids in front of him before nervously answering with his head bowed, the red headed boy fidgeting nervously with the edge of the Frisbee. This was his chance.

"My name is Gaara." He replied in a tiny voice, barely a whisper just loud enough for the other children to hear. The kid looked at him before smiling.

"You're pretty good Gaara, you want to play with us?" Gaara stared at the kid and the smiling faces of him and the others around him. Gaara lit up, his body filled with excitement, and a huge smile appeared on his face. He could not remember the last time he felt so happy. He nodded his head and began to give the Frisbee back to the kid. As the kid reached for it, a loud scream was heard from across the park.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SON!" They all looked towards the voice to see a women not far away running towards them. She grabbed her son's hand and glared at Gaara. She then roughly pulled the boy away while warning him not to associate with Gaara. Soon a number of other parents ran over to grab their respective children and began to leave the park, telling their children not to talk or even be around Gaara. The children didn't go against the wills of their parents. Gaara stood in that empty park, frozen, he stared at the spot where the kid had been, nothing going through his mind. The Frisbee fell from Gaara's hand, hitting the ground and echoing through the empty park.

The boy suddenly turned his head upward and let out a scream of despair into the air. Gaara malnourished form dropped to the ground, the boy kneeling in a hunched position. Tears streamed down his cheeks, his body shaking, his throat raw. He held his head and stared down at the ground with a crazed and broken expression in those dull green eyes of his.

As he sobbed uncontrollably a shadow appeared above him. A hand reached out and touched his shoulder. Gaara's body held no reaction, but he turned around to look up at the owner of the hand. When he turned around, he was met with a scared, worried, and sad face. Big blue eyes, stared at Gaara sadly, the figure's curly blond hair blowing in the wind.

"Please don't cry." The boy spoke in a somber voice towards Gaara. Gaara looked up at the kid before standing up and wiping his tears away. His face became emotionless as he turned around and started to walk away silently.

 _"Soon he'll leave too. Just like everyone else."_ Gaara thought to himself, resentment welling up inside the adolescent boy. This was it, the last time he would try to be part of society.

But something forced Gaara to stop, a warm pressure around his wrist. He turned around and saw that the kid had grabbed his hand. Gaara stood there and stared at the golden-haired boy. He stared with broken and lifeless eyes. The other boy stared sadly at him before taking a step towards Gaara. Gaara continued to stare but made no move. The stranger took small steps forward and when he got close Gaara took a step back only to be grabbed around the waist. Gaara's skinny, malnourished body was pulled into a warm hug. Gaara's eyes widened, the side of his head resting motionlessly against the boy's shoulder. He stood there in silence and disbelief, unsure of how to react. Gaara's arms stood limp at his side at the foreign feeling.

"My name is Naruto and I want to be your friend." Naruto whispered in a quiet, soothing voice directly into Gaara's ear. Gaara looked up to the slightly taller boy in disbelief before a pool of tears began to gather in his eyes once more. Slowly Gaara brought both of his scrawny arms up and wrapped them around Naruto's neck. He buried his face into Naruto's shoulder and began to cry softly again, his voice muffled as his little body began to quiver.

"My name is Gaara, and I want to be your friend too." Were the quiet words he spoke.

Naruto looked down at Gaara in understanding, that grip tightening around his new friend's waist. It was all he could do to stop himself from crying. Slowly he brought one arm up so that he could wipe away Gaara's tears with his thumb. But Gaara didn't stop crying. The flow would go on for a time. All his pent up emotions over the years being released to the first person that showed him a bit of kindness. Naruto, even though he was only 7 years old, understood perfectly. And so he returned his arm around Gaara's waist and tugged him into an even closer embrace, staying silent while leaning a bit forward to nuzzle the side of his face against Gaara's cheek. Gaara continue to hang off of Naruto, clinging desperately to the other boy's form. Never wanting to let go for fear of losing this moment.

Naruto and Gaara stood there in that embrace and just enjoyed each others presence for a long while. They said nothing, feeling a connection between one another even though they have never met. They felt that they understood each other perfectly, neither wanted to let go. As they hugged, a real connection went through their bodies. It was more of a feeling that transferred from one to another.

Inside Gaara, there was a room. The floors were filed with sand. In the room was a huge cage. In the middle of the cage there was a paper with the kanji for "seal" on it. Inside that cage there was a creature. This creature was fifty feet tall. It had dark brown fur with black rings around it. One huge tails swung excitedly behind it, the tip broken into three points. Its eyes were black and around his black eyes were four golden stars. He was the one tailed raccoon demon, Shukaku.

A smile appeared along his muzzle, exposing his razor sharp teeth.

" **Kyuubi! Gaara, this child, he is the carrier of Kyuubi the nine tailed fox."** On the outside Gaara pulled his head back and looked at Naruto questioningly.

"Kyuubi?" Gaara asked in a curious voice, confusion evident in his expression. Naruto looked at Gaara with shock. Inside Naruto, Kyuubi's nine tails flung about wildly. She could not keep in her excitement.

" **Naruto, this is the carrier of Shukaku, he will be your father. We must meet. Naruto you must say what I tell you to say."** On the outside Naruto stared at Gaara and nodded.

"Shukaku." Naruto spoke out hesitantly, mimicking Kyuubi's words. Gaara stared at Naruto and nodded. Naruto stared back and began to quote Kyuubi.

"Hello Shukaku, it's been a long time. Where have you been in the past hundred years?" Gaara looked at Naruto nervously before talking for Shukaku.

"I've been around, soon after we separated I attacked this child's village and was sealed away. What about you?

"The same happened to me as well. I attacked this pitiful village and I was sealed. There's much I need to tell you, we need to talk in person, I've missed you Shuka-kun."

"I've missed you as well Kyu-chan." After the conversation Gaara and Naruto both had blushes on their faces. Not only because they were sharing conversations between the two demons inside them but once they began to be aware of their surroundings again, they realized they were still hugging. They were embarrassed but neither broke away.

" **Take him to some place private Naruto, away from people."** Naruto mentally nodded with a chipper grin. He pulled away from Gaara and held his hand. Again Gaara's face contorted into a huge smile. He was feeling something he had never felt for anyone before. If Naruto was to leave him now, he didn't think he could go on. But he wanted to try, he would take a risk, and he would open up to someone in hopes of acceptance and maybe something more. One last time.

"Come with me." Naruto whispered in a tender voice. Gaara nodded and bowed his head bashfully before being dragged away. Naruto then disappeared into the nearby forest, hand in hand with his new best friend.

End of Chapter


	3. Chapter 3

Declaimer: I do not own Naruto, some guy named Kishimoto Masashi does.

Ok, I'm starting my third chapter enjoy.

 **"Kyuubi and Shukaku Speech."**

 _"Thought speech."_

"Everyone else speech."

Chapter 3

On with the story

The two children ran through the forest, both too young to know how to jump from trees. Naruto held a huge smile on his face as he pulled his new friend along with him. He looked back at the boy following closely behind, the redheaded demon carrier Gaara. Seeing Naruto looking back on him made Gaara avert his gaze in a bashful manner, a small blush gracing his small face. He had been staring at the back of Naruto's head.

Gaara still couldn't believe he had found a friend. He had even tried to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming but of course it was blocked by the sand. Naruto looked back on the other tween with a huge smile, even though he was embarrassed

Gaara couldn't help returning Naruto's smile. The blond's grin grew even larger before turning around to watch where he was going.

After a while of running they slowed down in order to walk side by side, still holding each other's hand tightly. It didn't take long for them to come into a small clearing. As they entered Gaara took in the sight. It was surrounded by trees, the sun shone high above them. It was a small grassy area, peaceful. As he got a closer look he could see that some of the trees were chipped and scratched. Naruto looked at the clearing with that same happy smile on his face before walking ahead. He went into the middle, threw his hands up, and began to spin around. The golden haired boy then began to laugh happily as he bathed in the sun's light.

Gaara watched in awe, he'd never seen anything so beautiful. He enviously watched the joyful Naruto laugh and spin around in the clearing. Naruto suddenly stopped and focused his attention on Gaara. Gaara looked down at the ground in surprised. His hands fidgeted not knowing what to do or say. Naruto's smile softened before he began walking towards the timid boy slowly. Naruto made his way to Gaara's skinny form and stopped in front of him. He stared at the other tween tentatively for a moment before slowly grabbing both of Gaara's hands. The sand around Gaara's body slowly fell away from his skin. Naruto watched in awe but continued to hold on to his new friend. For the first time since he could remember the sand fell from Gaara and for the first time he felt the warmth of another person's body.

Gaara was speechless, just Naruto's touch was like nothing that Gaara had ever felt, better than he could ever dream of. Naruto shivered slightly, the other boy's hands were so cold. Despite that he didn't let go. Soon Gaara's hands began to gain some warmth and Naruto squeezed his partner's hands affectionately. Gaara looked into Naruto's eyes with an emotion neither could identify.

" **Naruto it's time for everyone to meet, follow my commands."** A voice echoed in Naruto's mind.

Naruto mentally nodded and started to back up, slowly pulling Gaara with him. They moved to the center of the clearing and sat down. Gaara followed Naruto without thought, he would follow him anywhere. Naruto then slid his fingers between Gaara's fingers and lifted their hands. Gaara looked at their hands curiously. What was he doing? Gaara didn't really care. They sat on their knees and just waited. They didn't have to wait long.

Soon their visions began to blur until all they could see was darkness. Their minds swirled for long moment before finally the darkness began to fade. They opened their eyes in a completely different surrounding. Slowly the two boys stood up on their feet, instinctively grabbed each other's hand as they took in their new environment. The boys were in a large room. On either side of the room were two huge cages. The cages both had a piece of paper with the kanji for seal on them. The ground was split into two parts. On one side the ground was filled with red water and on the other side the ground was filled with sand. Big red and brown pipes led to both cages. They both stood up and stared at the huge cages next to them. Suddenly a figure began to appear in one of the cages, the watery side. A petite, tan woman in a red dress approached the cage, her nine red fox tails swinging gracefully behind her. Two red furry fox ears twitched excitedly on top of her head. Her face was beautiful, like a model to the boys. She adorned red lipstick and had, what seemed like, a thick layer of red eyeliner around her eyes. But her pupils were intensely red and slitted, demonic. She looked at the two with a small, gentle smile.

Their attention then turned to the other cage. A figure began to approach the cage, this one was a man. He had dark brown skin, darker than the women's. He wore brown beat up pants and nothing else. His bare torso revealed his muscles chest and arms, holding a very bulky frame like a body builder. The man also held scars along various parts of his body, including a large slash across his face. His appearance was a stark difference from Kyuubi's blemish-less skin. He had pitch black eyes with golden diamonds forming a compass around his dark, demonic pupils. His long, wild, dark orange hair flowed down to his ankles. Around his eyes were black rings that extended down to his cheeks. Behind him swung one powerful furry dark orange raccoon tail. The tail was twice his size in width, and swung slowly behind him. At the end of his tail were three tips which were painted black. A barely noticeable grin with painted across his usually stoic face upon seeing the kits. But he quickly shifted his attention to the beautiful woman across the way;

Upon seeing the imposing form of Shukaku, Gaara moved even closer to his golden-haired partner, squeezing the boy's hand tightly. Gaara had never seen this large man but something was familiar about him. Was this...Shukaku? The thought caused the tween to fidget nervously. He didn't know why he was nervous. If this was Shukaku then he shouldn't be afraid right? The sand always protected him. But still...

" **Naruto meet your new father."** Kyuubi called to the boys without looking at them, one delicate hand of hers grasping the bars of her cell as she gazed towards Shukaku with a hungry expression.

Naruto went wide-eyed while watching Kyuubi before swiveling his head over to gaze at Shukaku's towering figure. Naruto raised up his free hand and began to scratch the back of his head nervously.

"Hi." The 7 year old boy whispered tentatively. The dark skinned man chuckled in a deep, rumbling tone before responding back in a gruff voice.

 **"Hey."** Shukaku replied in a mildy amused fashion. And that's was all Gaara needed to confirm it. This was Shukaku. The redhead's eyes widened in realization before he quickly bowed his head and averted his gaze away. The little boy didn't know what he was feeling, it was just...so much at once.

"He's going to be Naruto's father from now on?" Gaara thought to himself in a disbelieving manner. He didn't know how he felt about that. All he could think of was the way the voice had always treated him. **"You're a monster."** Came the not so distant memory of the voice. Gaara stayed silent, lost in his conflicted thoughts.

Kyuubi and Shukaku noticed this reaction immediately. The sultry woman quirked a brow in interest. Shukaku gazed down with a blank expression, staring intensely at Gaara's tiny form. The raccoon was always harder to read and rarely showed much emotion besides anger and seriousness. His current relatively cheerful mood was rare. And even then it was so subtle that his face still appeared rather stoic to the children. Naruto was too busy staring back and forth between Kyuubi and Shukaku to notice Gaara's reaction. The blonde tween's wide eyed reaction caused a sultry chuckle to release from Kyuubi's throat. She then raised one delicate, clawed hand to gesture over to Gaara.

"And you've already met that lifelong friend I spoke of." The women said with a tender expression when seeing the way Naruto and Gaara clung to each other. Or more accurately how Gaara clung to Naruto. Naruto looked over to Gaara and squeezed his hand, causing the redhead to suddenly glance up, focusing his attention on his partner. Seeing Naruto's warm smile served to calm the boy's nerves. Kyuubi beamed at the two in an adoring manner before turning her attention to Shukaku.

" **Son, I think its time for us to fuse."** She said while continuing to stare at Shukaku. Shukaku moved his unblinking gaze towards Kyuubi and let a knowing smirk grow across his lips. Naruto looked at Kyuubi questioningly.

"How do we do that?" The boy asked while tilting his head to the side curiously.

" **You both must tear half of the seals off of our cage, you can't handle anymore than that but that should be enough."** Naruto and Gaara looked at each other before reluctantly parting ways. Naruto went to Kyuubi's cage and Gaara went to Shukaku's cage. As Naruto approached Kyuubi the woman reached a delicate hand through the bars and glided her palm across Naruto's cheek, caressing the child in a gentle manner. Naruto leaned into the touch as he reached up to grab the paper seal on the bars. Gaara had quite the different response.

As Gaara neared his side he couldn't help noticing the hulking figure of the dark skinned man, eyes barring down on him in that same intense, unblinking fashion. The burly Raccoon demon had his arms crossed in front of his chest while maintaining a stoic expression and rigid posture. Gaara couldn't maintain that gaze for long, bowing his head as he arrived at the cage and, with a shaky hand, grabbing at the paper seal connected to Shukaku's bars. Gaara glanced back at Naruto to see the loving affection the blonde was being given, only to tentatively look back to Shukaku. No such gesture was sent his way, only a silent, overbearing gaze came from the Raccoon demon. Shukaku watched the boy closely, noting his reaction. Was Gaara afraid?

Nervous? It seemed like both. He followed Gaara's gaze over to where Kyuubi was doling affection out to Naruto before returning those blacked orbs to the top of Gaara's head.

 **"Calm down child."** Came Shukaku's booming voice. An attempt to calm the redhead but only came out as a forceful command from the confident and direct way in which the demon always spoke. His voice was deep, very deep, thunderous even. There was no mistaking it now. This was Shukaku. Hearing that voice caused Gaara's entire body to begin shaking, the tween averting his gaze, not daring to look the man in the eye.

"O-ok." Gaara whispered in a barely audible squeak of a voice. A subtle frown grew across the man's brow. Not exactly the soothed response he was looking for. Kyuubi looked up from Naruto's face, sending her fiery fox eyes to the scene across the way, noting Shukaku's non-existent parenting skills. She'd work on that.

Once their paper seals were secure in both the boy's hands Naruto and Gaara looked back at one another. Seeing Naruto's face stopped Gaara's body from shaking. There was just something...calming about looking into those friendly eyes. Naruto sent Gaara a bright grin. Seeing that caused a sweet little smile to grow across the redhead's face. Naruto nodded before turning around to tear his seal, and Gaara did followed suit. They struggled with the durable paper for a while before tearing half the seals off at the same time. Instantly the water and sand which littered the floor rose into the ground.

Little droplets of water and sand began to circle each other faster and faster in a circular motion, forming a muddy sphere. Kyuubi then raised a hand and sent a stream of red chakra towards the ball of sand and water. Shukaku mimicked her, raising a large hand and sending his own stream of red chakra towards the dark orb. Both their demonic chakra encased the messy mixture and began to expand outward at a rapid rate. Frightened by the continuously expanding sphere Naruto and Gaara ran at each other joined in a desperate embrace. Gaara laid his head against Naruto's chest and Naruto wrapped his arms around Gaara's waist protectively while both boys kept their heads down and closed their eyes. Kyuubi and Shukaku looked at the orb with a smile before pumping the ball of sand, water, and chakra, with even more chakra. The globe began to spin faster before finally exploding.

Once again Naruto and Gaara's world went black.

Naruto and Gaara slowly opened their eyes, they had no idea how much time had passed. They kneeling in each others arms. The two boys slowly took in their surrounding. All around them was darkness, they couldn't see anything but each other, and their bodies both emitted a small glow to illuminate the area around them. As they looked around, two figures began to emerge from the darkness. One was a ten foot tall red fox with a ten foot tall dark orange raccoon next to it. The two demons both walked over on all fours, in their feral forms. They made their way over to the two boys and sat down in front of them, the raccoon's tails wrapped around all nine tails of the fox.

" **Aww you two look so cute with your little tail and ears."** Came a familiar voice from the fox. It spoke with Kyuubi's voice and smiled despite the feral appearance of it's current form.

Naruto and Gaara both moved their heads to the side in a show of confusion. They then finally noticed each others changes. Naruto stared at the fuzzy dark orange raccoon ears on top of Gaara's head. Naruto could see the pink of the inside of his ears and the dark orange fur on the outside. Behind Gaara was a fluffy dark orange tail with black rings spiraling across the fur in an intricate design, the design leading up to the blackened tip of that furry appendage. It swung freely behind him, jutting out from his tailbone. Gaara noticed the fluffy dark red fox ears on top of Naruto's head. They twitched every few seconds. Behind him was a fluffy dark red fox tail in the same location as Gaara's. It swung playfully back and forth. Their eyes widened before they started to frantically circle each other on all fours. Kyuubi and Shukaku smiled down at the two.

" **This is part of your transformation, along with your outside appearance. Your chakra system has also been changed to that of a demon. You will also gain our instincts and other traits when you grow older."** Kyuubi spoke up again while watching the two boy's adoringly. Naruto and Gaara finally stopped and hunched over like dogs, staring at each other excitedly.

"Does this make us brothers?" Naruto asked out of the blue. Kyuubi and Shukaku looked at each other and then back at the two.

" **No, the fusion only merged your chakra, not your blood, but you two are connected now. Your minds are connected and you will be able to feel what each other feels, read each other's minds if the other allows it, and you will be stronger when you two are together."** Naruto looked at Gaara with a smile before entwining their tails. Naruto didn't know where the urge to do that came from. It was almost like instinct when looking at someone he cared about. Gaara blushed and moved closed to Naruto, the boys still on all fours and hunching over like dogs. Kyuubi moved over to the two and used her tails to push them towards the darkness.

" **Go play you two, me and Shukaku have some things to take care of."** Naruto and Gaara nodded before running off further into the cage. Kyuubi watched them leave before turning her attention to the large raccoon next to her. He was watching the boy's disappear in the darkness, his eyes lingering on Gaara's tiny form in thought. He noted the bright smiles across the tween's face. So cheerful, so happy, running off with his new friend. So this is what a happy Gaara looked like. While he was lost in his thoughts a soft feeling began to rub underneath his chin. The raccoon demon snapped out of his daze to see Kyuubi passing by, her large tail sliding across his neck in an inciting manner.

 **"What are you thinking about Love?"** The giant fox questioned while walking a few feet away. Shukaku was quick to follow behind.

" **It's nothing."** Shukaku stated in a gruff tone, causing the fox to roll her eyes. She stopped and looked back to Shukaku in her feral form, an amused smirk playing across her muzzle.

 **"You were thinking about your ward, weren't you?"** Kyuubi questioned in an accusatory manner as Shukaku began to circle her. His gaze was as harsh and intense as when he was in his human form. The look he gave her caused a shiver to creep up her spine. Kyuubi couldn't help dropping her torso down and raising her tail. Shukaku stopped behind her and crawled over her, moving his paws above hers and pinning them to the ground while pushing his pelvis against her raised ass.

" **We'll talk about it later if we must."** The raccoon demon stated in that deep voice before parting his maw to clamp his teeth down along the furry ear atop Kyuubi's head. He gave the flesh firm but careful nibbles, the sensation sending a shock to her system.

" **I've missed this."** Were Kyuubi's enchanted words as soft purrs emanated from her body. Shukaku upon hearing those soft vibrations released a dominate growl directly into her ear.

" **He have a lot to catch up on."** Shukaku stated as a matter of fact while positioning himself properly.

" **I know Honey. We can catch up later but for now, fuck me."**

With Naruto and Gaara

They both ran on all four side by side, they hadn't been running for long. Naruto suddenly stopped and Gaara stopped as well.

"Wait, where are we going?" Naruto asked while looking around.

"I don't know, it's dark everywhere." Naruto thought for a minute before sighing. "Man I wish we had somewhere to play like a park or something."

As if granting his wish material began to appear in front of the boys out of thin air. A playground began to grow out of nothing, like a mirage coming to life. There were monkey bars, slides, jungle gyms, sand boxes, and teeter totters. Their eyes widened before both began to laugh.

"Cool!" They shouted in unison. Naruto tried to stand up, only to fall flat on his face. He picked himself up on all fours. Gaara tried to stand himself up as well only to fall on his butt. They looked at each other and sat down. Naruto began to panic.

"We can't stand up, how can we move or get anywhere!?" The blonde yelled in alarm while running around in circles on all four. Gaara giggled before making his way over to Naruto, also on all fours, and grabbing his friend's shoulders.

"Naruto-kun please calm down. We can ask Kyuubi and Shukaku about that later but for now lets play." He said with a hopeful smile. Naruto calmed down and came to his sense at Gaara's words. The boy's shoulders relaxing as he took a deep breath. He then returning Gaara's smile.

"Ok, tag you're it!" Naruto said while tapping Gaara on the shoulder and running into the park. Gaara eyes sparkled with joy, he had seen kids play this game before but he never could join in himself. The redheaded tween stood there for a while, thinking how lucky he was when Naruto called to him.

"Come on Gaara-kun, you're it!" Gaara nodded before taking off after Naruto.

Well that's the end of this chapter. Please Review.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Chapter Text

Declaimer: I do not own Naruto, some guy named Kishimoto Masashi does.

Ok I'm starting my fourth chapter enjoy. .

 **"Kyuubi and Shukaku Speech."**

"Thought Speech."

"Everyone else speech."

Chapter 4

On with the story

Kyuubi and Shukaku laid together, Shukaku rested comfortably on top of Kyuubi. They had fallen asleep after their long and rigorous session of love making. They were both still in their feral forms. Shukaku was the first to wake up and stretch. He lifted himself from on top of Kyuubi, moved to the side of her and began to stretch his body like a cat. After stretching he made his way over to the large fox and nuzzled into the heap of fur on her neck. The raccoon demon licked her muzzle and purred softly. Kyuubi woke up with a purr and began to return Shukaku's licks. She then rolled over and began to stretch. After stretching she walked slowly over to Shukaku and cuddled into his chin.

" **It's been a while since we let the kids go off on their own we should go get them. They need to get home."** Kyuubi spoke in a sweet voice. Shukaku stared off into the darkness with a contemplative look before nodding his head.

" **Of course."** Came the raccoon's gruff response as he slowly began to transform into his human shape. He figured that the kids would be more comfortable with this form since they were still partially human. Kyuubi followed suit, moving to stand in front of Shukaku and lean her curvy form against his chest. They were both completely naked, Kyuubi running slender fingers up the rock hard pectoral muscles of her lover while looking up to him with a curious expression. Shukaku towered over her, the burly man tilting his neck to the side to rub out any kink from his muscles. Kyuubi wasn't short by any means, being around 6 feet and 2 inches tall. But Shukaku was around 7 feet tall, imposing even in his human form.

" **Talk to me. You seem rather distracted."** Kyuubi stated simply in that sultry voice of hers while sliding a single soft hand across his shoulder, up his neck, to eventually caress the side of his face. She gazed upon him adoringly, the woman raising up on her tippy toes. Upon seeing Kyuubi's behavior Shukaku leaned down to press his lips firmly against hers, engaging his partner in a hungry kiss. Kyuubi's lips were painted red, the soft pedals parting slightly in order to suckle lightly along the man's bottom lip. Shukaku brought one hand down to give a firm smack to her ass, his large hand engulfing the flesh of her rump and squeezing firmly into that bubbly rear. They both pulled back from the kiss at the same time, mouths separated just enough to speak.

" **There have been lots of distractions as of late."** Shukaku finally responded in that deep, rumbling voice. Kyuubi smirked knowingly at that, bringing her other arm up now to wrap around the man's neck and twirl a few strands of his long, curly hair around her petite, manicured finger.

" **Yet it seems you have a different redhead on your mind."** The woman responded in an amused tone. Shukaku just gave a grunt of acknowledgment while looking over her head into the darkness. His facial expressions were often hard to read but Kyuubi, having known him for so long, could read him like a book. That was even without literally experiencing his emotions as if they were his own. Something the boys would eventually learn about first hand.

" **I've...never been good with children. Especially not humans ones."** Shukaku admitted, speaking as the thoughts came to him. Kyuubi released a sultry giggle in response to that confession.

" **A truth that is news to no one."** The demoness commented in a teasing manner, forcing an annoyed grunt from Shukaku's grunt.

" **I tried to protect him, from the harshness of the world. But he doesn't show me gratitude."** The raccoon demon stated with a hint of frustration in his voice. Kyuubi quirked her brow, canting her head to the side.

" **Show me."** The woman demanded in a gentle tone before closing her eyes. Shukaku nodded his head before closing his eyes as well.

A sudden rush of memories flooded Kyuubi's mind. She saw it all. Every moment that passed between Shukaku and Gaara from the day that Gaara was born. She saw the cruel way in which Gaara's village treated him, Gaara's father treated him.

"She never loved you." Came a disembodied voice, speaking out to an even younger Gaara. Kyuubi watched the redheaded boy bow his head in shame and sorrow, tears streaming from his face. The woman viewed the scene as if she were right there at the time. Then the scene faded to another moment in Gaara's life.

"Get away from my Son!" Came the voice of an enraged and alarmed mother who pulled a child away from Gaara. A child who Gaara was attempting to befriend. She could feel the profound loneliness and hate that the boy, not even 8 years old, had endured. Kyuubi then heard it, Shukaku's voice echoing in Gaara's mind.

" **You are a monster."** Came Shukaku's harsh voice, speaking the way he always did. In that deep, booming, thunderous, and seemingly sinister voice. Kyuubi understood now. The woman finishing those memories coming back to reality.

Kyuubi was still standing in Shukaku's arms, the man had a subtle look of frustration on his face.

" **I tried to teach him to accept what he was to the world based on how the world viewed and treated him. I tried to liberate him with truth. But the boy is blind!"** Shukaku barked out in anger, his booming voice echoing into the darkness. Kyuubi was unfazed by the man's actions, knowing that his emotions weren't aimed at her but at the situation. She could literally feel his frustration, as could all demons. Their bond precluded petty misunderstandings. The woman sighed softly before bringing both her dainty hands down to rub soothingly into the man's chest.

 **"You're such an idiot."** Kyuubi stated in exasperation. Shukaku looked down at her and grunted out his acknowledgment once more. He didn't feel insulted. Clearly she saw something he didn't. So he just listened.

 **"All the time you've been here you've never bothered to learn their culture. Their mind. The humans, they are different then us. Especially their children."** Kyuubi explained, causing Shukaku to grit his teeth.

" **I know they are different."** Shukaku suddenly blurted out. Kyuubi looked up at him silently, making sure he was done releasing his emotions before speaking again.

" **I mean even more different then you know. I've know you've grown to know their cruelty, especially of the adults. All you've done is fight them. You've never had the chance to live among them, as one of them. You've never gotten the chance to know them intimately."** The woman stated while turning around in Shukaku's arms. He immediately moved his large arms around her waist to embrace the demoness' body and tug her voluptuous form back against his muscular torso in a possessive manner.

 **"But you have?"** Shukaku questioned, causing Kyuubi to nod her head. As she did that gesture a vivid image materialized in front of the duo, springing out from the darkness into an ever changing picture show. It showed a village of thousands of human faces, the picture shifting based on how Kyuubi spoke.

" **The humans are more complex and diverse than you know. They don't value truth like we do. They don't value peace like we do. They don't value love like we do. They don't have harmony like we do. They are ruled by their emotions. Their Jealousy, greed, envy, lust. They are disconnected from one another. What love they do know is fragile at best at chaotic at worst. They've even found a way to use love as an excuse to destroy one another, perverting it. The only thing strong about them is their hate and their selfishness. Their selfishness knows no bounds."** As Kyuubi spoke many images flashed in front of their eyes. When Kyuubi mentioned love the image of a human mother holding her baby appeared. When she mentioned hate the imagine of a mob with pitch forks and torches appeared. The word "Selfishness" was followed by an image of a large woman carelessly stuffing her face with food while stepping over a starving homeless person. Shukaku watched silently, taking it all in without interrupting.

" **They can't handle truth. Many would rather be lied to in order to feel safe, comfortable, happy."** Kyuubi went on. Shukaku finally jumped in with a question.

" **So I should have lied to Gaara? Told him everything would be ok despite how the world treated him?"** Shukaku asked which made Kyuubi turn around again in his arms, the woman looking up with her fiery red eyes.

" **Not exactly. I'm just saying you will need to learn to be...kinder. And for them, the truth isn't always a kindness."** She explained in a gentle manner while reaching up to caress his cheek. Shukaku appeared even more confused.

" **I don't even know what that means. How is kindness separate from truth?"** Shukaku barked out. But despite the large man's apparent anger Kyuubi was completely calm and comfortable in his arms.

" **Truth is about perspective as well Darling. You just have to show them a perspective they will be happy with."** The woman lectured before grabbing his hands and tugging hulking man towards the darkness. She could see the wheels turning in his mind. And of course she understood. Demons were straight forward. They didn't need to twist words among one another because they could experience each others feelings as if their own. They always understood each other's intention. Their was no lying, deception, sugar coating among demons. Truth and honesty were as instinctual to a demon as breathing. When a demon spoke, to another demon their meaning was always clear because only part of their language was speech. To completely understand a demon you needed to feel as they did. No one hid their feelings or thoughts. Because of the bond they all shared, no one needed to.

A demon's bond was something that made all of that unnecessary. Demon's experienced the world through an otherworldly connection, feeling what each other felt as if the experiences of their peers and family were their own. The culture of demons was something a human could never really understand unless they experienced "The Bond" for themselves. And because Shukaku's experience with humans was usually violent, unlike Kyuubi, he never learned truly just how shallow their collective experience was, and therefore never learned to navigate the fragile sensibilities of most people. But Kyuubi had.

 **"How about this. Just watch me for a time and follow my lead. A few weeks, maybe months. And then you can make things right with him. I need you Shukaku Darling. Will you help me care for them?"** Kyuubi asked while walking backwards, pulling on both of Shukaku's hands now. The man followed closely, listened to her intently.

 **"You know I will. Anything...for you."** Shukuka stated without hesitation. That response drew a pleased smile from Kyuubi who moved by his side and clutched into his arm in a clingy fashion. She then rose up on her tippy toes to deliver an appreciative kiss to his cheek. Kyuubi then looked forward into the darkness with a pleased smirk across her luscious lips.

" **Good."**

Naruto and Gaara currently laid together flat out in a grassy field looking up at the stars in the night. Naruto and Gaara were getting sleepy and the scenery changed to fit their mood. They were pointing at stars and seeing what figures they could see. They played the same game for hours and never got bored seeing as how that was the first time they played with anyone. They both huddled together, their bodies getting cold for some reason.

It didn't take long for Kyuubi and Shukaku to find the two. They walked over to the boys, Kyuubi holding a warm smile across her face while Shukaku maintained a stoic expression. Naruto excitedly got up and began to wag his tail.

"Mommy, daddy, we had the best day, first we played tag then…" He was interrupted by his own yawn. Kyuubi smiled before picking both Gaara and Naruto up with her tails. The then hugged them both to her bosom.

" **It seems you two need to get to bed. I'll send you both back to your bodies now."** As she said this their world began to spin and they found themselves in the clearing that Naruto took them to. They were still holding hands but their appearances had changed into that of demons.

" **For now you two should get home. We will worry about your ears and tails later."** Kyuubi stated in a motherly tone.

"But mommy we still can't walk." Naruto said while trying to stand up only to fall on his butt again.

" **It will be an entire year until you two have to go to the ninja academy so that's plenty of time to teach you what you need to know by then. Also no one really pays attention to either of you that much so you can learn to walk before anyone notices."** Naruto nodded and took off toward their apartment building on all fours. Gaara followed close behind. It didn't take them long to get there since they could move faster on all fours. Once there they looked up at the building sadly before slowly walking in. Since Naruto's room was closer they went to his door first.

"Goodnight Naru-kun." Gaara said sadly.

"Goodnight Gaara-kun." Naruto said while watching Gaara turn around.

" **What are you two doing? You don't think you'll be sleeping separately after your fusion do you? The farther away you are from each other, the worse you'll feel, which will also affect Shukaku and me."** Naruto looked at Gaara nervously.

"So we can sleep together?" Naruto asked in a hopeful tone. Kyuubi and Shukaku looked towards each other with amused smirks.

" **Yes you can sleep together. Better yet you two will be sleeping with us so go get in bed."** Kyuubi stated from inside the boy's heads.

Naruto and Gaara grinned brightly before racing into Naruto's room. They climbed into bed and cuddled close to each other with a giggle, staring excitedly into each other's demon eyes. Naruto then pulled the covers over both of them. As he did this they blacked out for a second before regaining their vision. They were now held close by Kyuubi. She was currently lying down with the two cuddled close into her fur, the demoness now in her feral fox form. They laid into her side with those 9 fluffy, demonic tails of hers wrapping around them. Kyuubi then looked over to Shukaku, signaling him to join them. The raccoon demon was in his feral form as well, taking powerful steps around the group. Naruto was snuggling happily into Kyuubi's fur but Gaara wasn't so relaxed.

The adolescent redhead watched Shukaku with a tentative gaze, still weary of the large male, something which neither Kyuubi nor Shukaku missed. Kyuubi looked at the large demon with a sweet gaze, gesturing for the man to continue. So Shukaku just settled down behind Kyuubi and used his large tail to drape over all of their bodies. Gaara shivered as soon as the rough fur touched his small form. Shukaku stopped the descent of that large appendage for just a moment, watching the boy carefully before slowing the tail's decent and settling it down more gently. It didn't take long for a very pleasant warmth to engulf Gaara and Naruto's tiny bodies. Naruto was quite pleased, smiling brightly from the closeness of loving bodies surrounding him.

Gaara held a conflicted look in his black starred eyes, filled with mix emotion as he continued to stare up at Shukaku's large raccoon face. Most of his face was hidden behind Naruto's head from Shukaku's perspective, the smaller boy's face buried in the curly blonde hair on the back of Naruto's head as Gaara spooning Naruto from behind. The smaller tween watched Shukaku silently for a few moments before becoming comfortable enough to close those black starred orbs of his restfully, falling into a peaceful slumber. Shukaku observed the tiny boy with an unfaltering gaze before letting out a small relieved sigh. Kyuubi, who was watching the interaction closely leaned up to kiss Shukaku under the chin.

 **"A good start."** The woman whispered in a proud voice before licking his muzzle effectionately and laying down to sleep. Shukaku was the last to fall asleep as he watches over the three. He gazed over them protectively before allowing himself to doze off as well.

The next day Naruto was the first to wake up in their bed. He slowly got up and stretched like a cat. After he was done the golden haired boy jumped on top of Gaara. Gaara woke up with a scream, eyes wide, frantically searching for the source of the disturbance which wasn't hard to find. Naruto sat on top of the redhead, straddling Gaara waist with a huge smile on his face. Upon seeing his friend's cheerful expression Gaara sighed in relief.

"Naru-kun, please don't surprise me like that, especially when I'm asleep." Gaara said while rubbing one eye sleepily.

"Ok Gaara-kun but you need to get up. We have a lot to do today." Naruto climbed off Gaara and gave him time to stretch. Gaara then sat down and started to scratch the raccoon ears on top of his head with his foot.

"What do we have to do today?" Gaara asked with a yawn.

"Mommy and daddy have to teach us how to walk remember? How else are we going to move all your stuff down here?" Naruto stated in a playful manner. Gaara's eye's widened in shock.

"You want me to move in with you!?" The smaller tween exclaimed in disbelief. Naruto smiled and nodded his head.

"Yep!"

"Um, ok but we don't need to be able to walk to get all my stuff, I don't have much." Gaara stated quietly. Naruto than jumped up in an excited manner.

"Ok then lets get them now!"

Gaara nodded nervously before leading the way to his room with Naruto following closely behind. They went upstairs and into Gaara's room which wasn't any different from Naruto's except it was slightly cleaner. Gaara went into his room and got a bag from a small drawer. He than packed his few changes of cloths.

"Is that it?" Naruto asked while grabbing the bag with his teeth. He looked down at the bag with a solemn expression. Gaara nearly gasped at the rush of feeling that hit him. He was feeling Naruto's emotions, and the sensation hit him like a truck. This was their new bond. The bond between demons.

"It's ok." Gaara stated in an attempt to cheer Naruto up. The golden haired boy cast his gaze towards Gaara before smiling softly and moving his fluffy fox tail forward to entwine around Gaara's brown raccoon tail. They both felt each other's release of tension and grew calm at the same time.

"Um there's still one more thing." Gaara said while moving over to his bed. He checked under his covers and pulled something from under them with his teeth. It was a little brown teddy bear. Gaara pulled it out with embarrassment. Naruto smiled at Gaara before picking up his bag and motioning for Gaara to follow him. They made their way to Naruto's apartment, making sure they weren't seen by anyone seeing as how they both had tails and ears. Once they were back Naruto unpacked Gaara's clothes and put them in his dresser with his.

"Are you sure it's ok if my cloths are mixed with yours Naru-kun." Gaara said while sitting on the bed hugging his teddy bear to his chest. The red haired boy spoke softly, hiding the lower half of his face behind the head of his teddy bear and looking to Naruto with a nervous gaze.

"It's fine I don't have that many clothes so I have plenty of space." Naruto said while climbing on the bed next to Gaara.

"Mother what are you we going to do about our looks? People won't be too happy if they find out we've changed into demons." Naruto asked before smiling softly to himself. He was still getting used to calling her mother. It was a new feeling, one that felt really good. So he went out of his way to keep saying it as much as he could.

Kyuubi thought for a minute. If Naruto was older and knew how to use jutsu than he could just use a genjutsu but they were both too young. She then remembered something from Naruto's memories.

" **Naruto's do you remember that piece of clothes that you hate so much?"** Naruto frowned and nodded his head.

" **Well I want you to wear that and give Gaara the other one."** Naruto nodded reluctantly before going to his closet and opening it. In it was his favorite orange jumpsuit but far to the sides was his least favorite of all his clothes. He pulled them out and showed them to Gaara. They were two black hooded cloaks that would cover their entire bodies. He had one extra as well laying on the floor of his closet, three in total. One of the few things he'd actually kept from his time at the orphanage. That time being something he would rather forget about.

The reason Naruto never wore it was because it made him even more unnoticeable than before. If he wore this then no one would pay attention to him which was the last thing he wanted before. The only reason he still kept it was because there where times when he needed to be invisible and now was one of them.

Naruto handed one cloak to Gaara and went into the bathroom. When he came out Gaara was also done putting on the cloak. The cloak was too big for both of them but they could still move in them and they could successfully hide their tails in the cloak and put up their hoods to hide their ears. Of-course they couldn't hide their eyes. Naruto now had red slitted eyes while Gaara had pitch black eyes with a golden diamond for a pupil and four smaller diamonds surrounding his pupil, just like Shukaku. They could just hide their faces until they got sunglass or learned to use jutsu.

Naruto and Gaara looked at each other. Naruto had to admit that Gaara looked kind of cool in the black baggy cloak. He looked…fluffier than usual. Naruto smiled and Gaara returned his smile.

"So mother what should we do next?" Naruto blurted out in a chipper tone. He couldn't remember ever being this happy.

" **It's early why don't you two find a place to play, you're still children after all. The training will start later."**

 **A Few Weeks Later...**

Two small hooded figures ran through a park, small giggles could be heard as they chased each other around. They were wearing black hooded robes that were too big for them but barely limited their movement. They ran through the park on all fours. There were many different structures for the figures to play on, and they took advantage of them all. These figures were none other than Naruto and Gaara, and ever since they met, they were inseparable. To the side Kyuubi and Shukaku sat with their tails entwined, watching over the kits.

It had been nearly a month since the two boy's transformation, and they were with each other every waking moment. Kyuubi and Shukaku decided it would be best for the boys if they got to know each other a bit before starting their training, and they had gotten to know each other well in just a month. They constantly watched each other, learning the others habits, tendencies, moods. Though they didn't know everything about each other, it was enough for their training to start. Shukaku had also learned a lot as well, spending his time watching and learning from Kyuubi's parenting method. Kyuubi has also been teaching Shukaku more about human culture. He was baffled at first but was a quick learner. Especially given that he could learn from Kyuubi's memories directly.

Kyuubi and Shukaku lived in the human world for around the same time, over 1000 years. But they had lived their time on the human plane very differently. While Kyuubi intermingled and became a legend and myth, feared by some and revered by other, learning everything she could about the intricacies of human society and the world, Shukaku spent most of his time at war. The event that brought them into the human world effected them very differently. Kyuubi saw it as an opportunity, but Shukaku saw it as an affront to his freedom, lashing out at human kind, especially when seeing their worser natures. Despite their different experiences, they both came to the same conclusion. Humanity was a disease that needed to be cured. One way or another. But Kyuubi was patient, choosing to instead focus on the children until the day came to implement a plan she'd been plotting for ages.

 **Back to the boys...**

Kyuubi and Shukaku got up from their sitting positions and slowly made their way to the two boys on all fours, both ancient demons were in their feral forms.

" **Ok boys, play time is over, let's get down to business."** Shukaku said sternly. The boys stopped their playing and quickly made their way to Shukaku on all fours. During the weeks they were together they had learned to walk on both feet but they preferred to move on all fours. It was much more efficient. Once they made it over they both stopped in front of Shukaku and Kyuubi and sat in a hunch. Gaara was now much more comfortable being in Shukaku's presence and hearing his booming voice, getting used to the imposing demon more and more every day. Kyuubi's guided Shukaku slowly and carefully into fatherhood. Gaara hadn't yet referred to the raccoon demon as "father," but Shukaku was slowly gaining the boy's trust. Naruto, who had no experience growing up with Shukaku, had no problem accepting the ancient demon as his parent. The blonde was just happy to have parents.

" **Ok kits, your training starts today,"** As Shukaku said this Naruto raised his hand. Kyuubi looked over to him with a warm smile.

" **Naru-kun you don't have to raise your hand if you want to speak. Just wait for who ever is talking to finish then say what ever you want."** Kyuubi spoke up in a sweet, motherly tone. Naruto put his hand down with a smile and a nod. He then motioned to the black robes they were wearing.

"I have two questions, first, do we have to wear these black robes everywhere we go?" He said while pulling down his hood, revealing his fluffy dark red fox ears.

" **That would be a yes, even though no one can see your tails and ears inside your mind, you must get used to wearing these cloths. Soon these cloths will serve an even bigger purpose."** Kyuubi explained before moving one of her tails forward and caressing the side of Naruto's face with the fluffy appendage. Naruto closed his fiery red eyes, leaning into the touch and sighing contently. His lids then snapped open when remembering his second question.

"Oh um, what will you be teaching us?" Kyuubi and Shukaku looked at each other than back at the two.

" **Well you will find out right now."**

Suddenly Naruto and Gaara's vision began to spin and when it cleared they were both on their knees with their fingers entwined. They were in a clearing a few miles from Konoha. They had come here a few days ago and didn't go back. This would be their training area. It was bright and sunny outside, around noon.

" **Ok kits, for your first lesson I will be lecturing you. Shuka-kun will take care of the physical part of your training."** They both nodded in understanding.

" **Ok well let's get down to business."** Shukaku said from inside them.

" **While Kyuubi is lecturing you too, you will be doing exercised to strengthen you body. The first thing you need to do first is stretch. I will send images of what I want you to do and all you need to do is copy them."** They both nodded before starting the stretches. There were incoherent figures doing random stretches and maneuvers that flashed in their mind like a film reel.

" **Ok, well your first lesson will be about your chakra. Chakra is a form of energy that every living organism has. Human beings, demons, and even some animals have gained the ability to harness this energy for their benefit. Some use this energy…"** She continued to lecture them as they did their stretches. After they were done with their stretches, Shukaku sent images of different exercises for them to do while simultaneously listening to Kyuubi's lecture.

They trained all day. Their bodies were still underdeveloped so they couldn't last long and had to take numerous brakes but then they went back to training. Shukaku made sure to push them to their limits each time before he would let them rest. They would only eat the various fruits that grew in the forest. Naruto's obsession with ramen would stop here. A growing boy would need more nourishing sustenance.

At the end of the day Naruto and Gaara lay flat out on the ground. They were both sweating profusely. Gaara laid with the back of his head resting on Naruto's chest. They both had smiles on their face, even though their bodies ached. They knew the training would pay off in the end.

From their cage, Kyuubi and Shukaku looked onto the boys proudly. They had really tested the boy's limits, and they had to admit that they were impressed. The boys had great potential and they were going to see that the boys reached their potential. But for now it was time for them to rest. Kyuubi brought the two kits into her cage and let them cuddle into her fur. Shukaku then joined them. Today was just the beginning. Their training would only get harder.

For the next few months the boys followed a strict schedule. From noon till night, they would be trained by Kyuubi and Shukaku. Any thing between that was their free time, so they spent the mornings and late nights together. They traveled the village in their hooded robes, not noticed by anyone. They would play various games and just be kids. But once noon came, they would make their way to that secluded clearing in the forest and begin their training. Through many grueling exercises Shukaku strengthened their body and chakra capacity. And through Kyuubi's lengthy lectures their intelligence, knowledge, and chakra control increased.

Gaara and Shukaku had grown much closer over the past months as well. They grew to understand one another, especially after a particular conversation.

One late night the demon family lay together as they always did. This time Kyuubi and Shukaku were in their human forms. The curvy figure of Kyuubi lay down in a grassy field with large, powerful arms wrapped around her midsection, Shukaku spooning the woman from behind. Naruto adolescent form was curled up against Kyuubi's torso, his face nuzzled against her ample bosom. She had a slender arm wrapped around the boy's body, clutching him close to her possessively. Behind Naruto Gaara was curled up, spooning his blonde partner. Both of Gaara's skinny arms were wrapped around Naruto's waist, the smaller tween's face buried in the hair on the back of Naruto's head. Naruto's hair had grown quite a bit, the spikey golden locks flowing down to his shoulder and creating a nice cushion for Gaara's face. Kyuubi's nine tails wrapped around both boys, blanketing their bodies completely. Shukaku's large raccoon tail draped across all them, flowing from his behind to cover even himself in the large, pillowy appendage.

This is the position the demon family took every night, huddled together in a happy and close embrace. On this night like most nights Shukaku got up slowly, careful not to disturb the others. His large tail lifted up and off of their bodies as the burly man pulled away from the intimate hold. Standing up on his feet now, Shukaku popped his neck from side to side and walked off across that grassy plane that the family slept in. As Shukaku left a pair of eyes fluttered open to watch him go.

The dark skinned man walked far enough away to where he could no longer easily see the others. Once alone he raised one hand upwards in a subtle manner, causing a large bolder to lift up from the ground. This was his "cage." The reality of which he could manipulate to his liking ever since that seal was torn. Shukaku then took a seat on that rock and made a large pipe appear in his hand. He looked up at the stars, closing his eyes to enjoy the small breeze flowing through the grassy clearing. His long, ankle length spikey hair ruffled slightly from the gentle gust of wind as he raised the pipe to his mouth and lit it by creating a fire underneath his forefinger. Shukaku had no love for humans but this was one human imagining that the ancient demon enjoyed.

He drew in the smoke from the wooden shaft of the pipe before exhaling a huge cloud through his nostrils. The front of his body was then engulfed by a huge plume of fog breathed from his nose. As Shukaku began to take another breath the furry raccoon ears atop his head twitched. But he didn't respond further, the raccoon demon waiting patiently for figure behind him to approach.

Gaara watched the imposing man from afar, only a pair of boxers covering his adolescent form. The skinny boy took small steps forward, approaching in a slightly hesitant manner. He'd notice that Shukaku had become much nicer since he'd made Naruto and Kyuubi. No longer did the man speak so harshly, even if the power of the demon's voice remained. They hadn't talked much since the transformation, not personally. Usually when Shukaku addressed him Naruto was right by his side. They'd lost something. Gaara was still a child, he didn't fully understand his feelings but he knew that something was missing between himself and the raccoon demon. Despite remembering the harshness in which Shukaku used to speak, there was still an intimacy about it that Gaara missed. Though he wouldn't know how to articulate these feelings, being so young. But he could try.

Gaara moved forward until he was just a few feet away from the tall man, still approaching from behind. Finally Shukaku turned his head just enough to glance towards Gaara out the corner of his black, starred pupils. That look caused the little redhead to freeze. Shukaku still held such an intense gaze. Silently Shukaku turned his head away to look forward again, that large raccoon tail swaying hypnotically behind him as he sat.

" **Couldn't sleep?"** Shukaku asked in that deep voice of his, but his tone was softer, less booming. Gaara didn't respond immediately, the tiny tween stepping forward until he was standing to Shukaku's side a few feet away. Gaara fidgeted with his fingers and stole a few glances to the imposing man, the boy's head bowed. This was the first time in a long time that he was alone with Shukaku. He thought he'd be less nervous. But maybe being around Naruto and Kyuubi made him more calm and confident. But alone...

"A little. I...had another nightmare." Gaara admitted in a quiet, barely audible voice. Shukaku glanced over to the small boy, looking down with his intense gaze while blowing another huge cloud of smoke from his nose.

" **The same one?"** Shukaku questioned, drawing a quick nod from Gaara. Gaara often had nightmares. Less recently but still every once in a while. He'd wake up in the middle of the night sweating and whimpering but now Naruto was there to comfort him. Naruto understood because he had nightmares as well. They hadn't spoken about it, but they were there to comfort each other. Understanding one another's trauma in a way no human could possibly comprehend. But this night when Gaara woke up sweating, he chose not to disturb his adored friend. The missing presence of Shukaku's tail, a soothing presence he'd grown familiar with, served as a good distraction.

" **It's ok to have dreams like that. They make you strong. Give you the chance to overcome them."** Shukaku stated in a confident tone, his eyes narrowing. Shukaku saw every painful experience as an opportunity to grow. Something Gaara was slowly beginning to understand. Gaara listens intently, constantly shifting his gaze back and forth between the large demon and the ground.

 **"** What do you do when they don't go away? When...it keeps hurting?" Gaara questioned in that same sweet and soft voice. Shukaku shifted his gaze away to stare out into space as if thinking.

 **"You deal with it. Don't let it break you. As long as you can get through it standing tall the pain never wins. And If it seems like you can't do it alone, well there are those who can help you through it."** The ancient demon explained before returning his gaze back to Gaara, a stoic expression on his face. Despite the lack of emotion from Shukaku his words served to calm Gaara. The boy smiled subtly before stepping a big closer to the large man. Gaara leaned slightly into the large rock that Shukaku's was sitting on.

"Is that why you were so mean to me? You were trying to get me to overcome the pain?" Gaara asked hesitantly, almost afraid to ask that question. Shukaku left out a heavy sigh, the man closing his eyes for a moment before answering.

" **Yes. Though now I see that...that wasn't the way. Not for you. I'm sorry Gaara. I never meant to cause you unnecessary pain. I just wanted you to be strong enough to overcome their hate and cruelty."** Shukaku stated in a genuine manner while opening his eyes and staring back down to Gaara's face. This time Gaara didn't look away, a bright smile appearing across his lips.

"It's ok. Now that I understand...I'm happy that you tried. It just means you cared about me. Right?" Gaara asked while staring up in a hopeful manner. The boy had his hands bunched up against his chest in a vulnerable position, waiting with bated breath for the man's response. Shukaku could see just how important his next words would be to the tween. He took his time in answering, causing a lingering silence between them before speaking up.

 **"Yes."** He stated in an uncharacteristically gentle tone. Upon hearing that Gaara's eyes lit up. The boy bowed his head with a gentle smile painted across his face, holding his dainty hands against his heart. Gaara then looked up and opened his arms silently. Shukaku watched the tiny boy in fascination before returning that subtle smile, bending down to place his large hands along Gaara's hips and picking the boy up. Shukaku's hulking figure really towered over Gaara's tiny frame. Shukaku supported the skinny, petite adolescent by allowing Gaara' to sit on his forearm. Gaara leaned into Shukaku's chest, resting the side of his cheek against the burly man's left pectoral muscle. The boy breathed softly before pressing both his hands against the man's pecks and looking upwards with a sparkling expression in his eyes. Wordlessly Gaara leaned upwards, placing a small kiss against Shukaku's cheeks, all to the ancient demon's pleasant surprise.

"Thank you Daddy."


	5. Chapter 5

It was ten minutes to eleven and as usual they made their way to the clearing, this time from Konoha Park. They jumped from tree to tree, their bodies more than fit enough now to do the task. They traveled through the tree side by side, perfectly balanced, not wasting a step. They stayed low and thrust forward from each branch simultaneously. Their arms stayed in the same position as to not pick up wind resistance. Their hands were in both their sleeves in front of them. They had found this position to be very efficient, and comfortable.

Once they neared the clearing they both jumped high into the air and began to fall into the clearing. They fell upside down, before flipping over just before they hit the ground and landing in a low squat. As soon as they hit the ground they pulled their hands from their sleeves. But of course the sleeves were too long and still hung over their hands. They then dropped down to all fours on the ground and sat in a hunch. Their tails crept from under their robes and slowly entwined. They then awaited orders.

Again Shukaku and Kyuubi found themselves looking upon the boys with pride. The duo had become so much stronger and coordinated during these past months of training. Their balance was superb, both their strength and speed had increase exponentially, and they moved totally in sink with each other. It was time.

" **Naru-kun, Gaara-kun, we are so proud of you. You two have grown so much in such little time. We think you are ready to start you're individual training."** Both of the boys eyes widened in surprise.

"Mommy, what do you mean by "individual" training?" Gaara asked with a hint of panic in his voice. Kyuubi smiled softly.

" **Like always it will be best to show you."** The boys again felt that all too familiar feeling of their world spinning before they found themselves in Kyuubi and Shukaku's cage. Naruto and Gaara looked up at the two to see that both Kyuubi and Shukaku were in their humanoid forms.

" **When I say individual I mean that Shukaku and I will train one of you permanently. Don't worry; we will train you so you will be able to fight in balance with one another. We will teach you complementary fighting styles, and you will be training together sometimes as well but you each will have a different teacher**." Naruto and Gaara looked at each other with reluctance before tightening their grasp on each others tails. Kyuubi watched the two with a smile before looking at Gaara,

" **Gaara you will train with me, I will teach you jutsu, and many deadly fighting styles. With my training you will soon become one of the most skilled and graceful fighters in the world."** Gaara looked at her in shock.

" **I'm sorry, Mommy but wouldn't I be better suited to be trained by Daddy. He does control the sand that protects me."** Kyuubi's smile grew wider.

" **That is true but there is a simple reason why Shuka-kun must train Naruto. Shuka-kun's primary element isn't sand but wind. And seeing as how Naruto has an affinity for wind, Naruto would be best suited to be trained by him."** Gaara nodded in understanding before looking at Naruto sadly. He then began to move over to Kyuubi while slowly releasing the grip his tails had on Naruto's. Naruto watched Gaara before moving over to Shukaku. Shukaku looked down at Naruto with a smile before ruffling his spiky hair which had grown since his transformation.

His wild spiky blonde hair now went down to his shoulders while some branched out in front of his face. It was close to blocking his vision but never got there. Shukaku then moved into the darkness of the cage with Naruto following close behind. Naruto stole one last glance towards Gaara before disappearing into the darkness.

Gaara stared sadly into the darkness. It wasn't exactly the current separation that saddened him but the thought that now that they were training separately, they would be spending a lot less time with each other. Kyuubi knelt down in front of Gaara and raised his chin up with one finger so she could look at his face. She then moved his long silky bangs away from his eyes. Gaara's hair had also grown as well but his wasn't as untamed as Naruto's so his spiky red locks fell over his face. It obscured his vision but he didn't want to cut it, he didn't see the need to, he was hoping that if he grew his hair out long enough then he could use some of those hair jutsu that Kyuubi talked about.

Kyuubi now looked into Gaara's wide demonic starred eyes with a caring gaze. Gaara looked into her dark red, slitted eyes and returned the smile.

" **You will still get to be around Naruto a lot Gaara, there are just some things you two will need to learn separately to compliment each other. And look on the bright side. You are going to be learning from the most feared demon in the world and the sexiest if I do say so myself."** She said walking a little ways away and swinging her hips in an alluring manner. She then turned around, winked at him, and motioned for him to follow.

Gaara gave a soft giggle before following her into a different part of the cage. Kyuubi smiled, now that Gaara was calmed down, she could train him to his full capacity. She could be playful when she wanted to.

Shukaku traveled into the darkness with Naruto following close behind. He looked around, nodded, and stopped. Naruto stopped behind him and stood up, figuring Shukaku wouldn't be in his humans form unless he was going to teach him on two feet. As Shukaku turned around, he caught Naruto staring behind him into the darkness. He knew Naruto was thinking of Gaara.

" **Naruto!"** Shukaku called out in a deep, booming voice. Naruto snapped his head back and looked down, avoiding eye contact with his father. Shukaku stared at him with his arms crossed.

" **This is for the best Son. Alone I will be able to train you at full capacity. You will become stronger then you ever dreamed."** But his words didn't seem to comfort Naruto.

" **Did I mention that with your strength you will be able to protect the ones you care for, that includes Gaara."** Naruto then shot his head up with a strong determination.

"I will become strong, so I can protect him." He said while drifting off and gazing into the darkness. Shukaku nodded before getting into a low fighting stance. Naruto backed up as he saw Shukaku take the fighting stance.

" **What I will teach you is one of the deadliest styles in the world. This is the demon style of hand to hand combat. There are many branches of this style but the ones I will teach are the most deadly. They are the offensive branches. Demon fist, demon claw, and the demon rage styles. Only the most skilled individuals master these styles. I being one of the tail demons have mastered these styles and I will pass them on to you. Your training will be brutal and torturous, but when you have mastered it, there will be few who can rival you. Now copy my stances."** Naruto nodded before getting into Shukaku's stance.

Shukaku then lunged at Naruto, delivering a bone crushing punch to his chest. Naruto was lifted off of the ground and was sent flying ten feet away. He landed on the ground with a thud. But Shukaku didn't stop; he charged at Naruto, jumped in the air and came down with his fist ready to pound Naruto into the ground. Naruto eyes widened before he rolled away right as Shukaku made a crater in the ground where Naruto used to be. Naruto then began to get pounded to a pulp as he tried to dodge Shukaku's deadly assault.

Kyuubi led Gaara into the darkness until she stopped at a certain spot. Gaara followed close behind her and looked up at Kyuubi expectantly. Kyuubi turned around with a smile.

" **First off I will be teaching you my fighting styles. These are some of the most deadly fighting styles in the world, demon fighting styles. There are many branches but I will be teaching fighting styles known for there grace, balance, flexibility. A master of these styles will be almost impossible to hit. They will use their opponent's energy against them to deliver a quick defeat. They will be able to deliver quick and deadly attacks while keeping out of harms way. I intend to teach you the demon palm, dancing demon, and floating demon styles."** After speaking the ancient demoness stood on the tips of her toes, lifting one leg high in the air in a vertical split. Kyuubi then brought one arm in front of her and held out her palm. Her other arm was held out on the opposite side.

Gaara looked at his mother in awe. He and Naruto both had increased their balance and flexibility but not at that level. Kyuubi then returned to her normal standing position.

" **First I will teach you the beginning stances of these styles. Each stance will increase you balance and flexibility. Let us begin, copy my stances Sweetheart."** She stated in that motherly tone of hers while lowering herself into a split and holding both her palms out in front of her. Gaara nodded and began to copy her stances.

At the end of the day Naruto and Gaara woke up in their clearing, their tails entwined. As Naruto woke up he instantly fell over and curled into himself, his entire body aching in pain. Even though the pain was only in his mind it still felt real to him. Gaara looked at Naruto with worry before cuddling up to Naruto and cradling his beloved friend affectionately. Gaara wrapped his tail around Naruto's tails and pulled Naruto into him. The redheaded tween then began to rub circles into Naruto back while whispering soothing words into the boys ears. He had learned to do this when Naruto had nightmares.

Shukaku and Kyuubi watched the two before they turned to each other. Shukaku grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. Kyuubi wrapped her legs around Shukaku's waist.

" **Did you really have to go so hard on him? It was his first time."** Kyuubi questioned with an exasperated expression.

Shukaku smiled before slamming her into the cage with a growl.

" **This is what we've been training them for. It's not my fault you go so easy on Gaara."** He said while nibbling into her neck.

" **Gaara isn't as tough as Naruto and you know it. Plus we both know Gaara has much better balance and coordination than Naruto. Gaara has a lot of patience and doesn't have problems focusing like Naruto does. All you're teaching him to do is rip people to shred without a second thought."** Shukaku was too busy with Kyuubi's body to give an answer, he just growled before tearing her cloths off. Kyuubi just rolled her eyes and decided the talking was over. Both boys were being taught the best style suited for them and that was that. As she thought this, her thoughts were interrupted by something big and hard being plunged into her. She decided to save the thinking for later.

 **Timeskip...**

Two small figures stood in a big, open, grassy clearing. These figures wore identical clothing, a small t-shirt and tattered brown pants. A little ways away two long black robes were piled on top of one another. Each of them had two long fuzzy tails swaying slowly behind them. These figures stood on the opposite sides of the clearing facing each other silently. These figures were the now eight year old Naruto and Gaara; they stared at each other before taking their respective fighting stances.

Naruto lowered himself into a low crouch; his knees bent close together facing Gaara. He put his right fist to his side while putting his left hand in front of his face. He pointed his long sharp nails toward Gaara and began emitting a low growl. Gaara stared at Naruto before getting in his fighting stance.

He raised himself up on his tippy toes, his toes supporting all of his weight. He then raised his left leg up, and rested it on his right thigh. His legs formed an upper case P, his left leg on his left side. His right leg straight, he now supported all of his weight on his right leg, perfectly balanced. He then brought his arms up above his head and arched his back. His fingers touched, his arms forming an oval over his head. He then closed his eyes and waited. (It's pretty much a ballerina's stance.)

Naruto stared at Gaara for a few seconds before suddenly charging him. He was just a blur as he constantly swerved side to side with each step. He got to Gaara in less than a second before jumping up at him and slashing horizontally at his body.

Gaara stayed still until Naruto got to him; once Naruto slashed at him he suddenly opened his eyes and quickly lowered himself into a low crouch while spinning around simultaneously. He spun his body around and aimed a kick towards Naruto's gut, effectively dodging the slash.

As Naruto saw the kick he redirected his slash downward mid swing, Gaara also saw Naruto's claws and suddenly stopped his kick in the air before Naruto's sharp claws could tear through his leg. He then jumped up in front of Naruto with a spin and aimed his wrist towards Naruto's face. Naruto growled before quickly grabbing Gaara's wrist out of the air and pulling Gaara into him. With his other hand he aimed a claw at Gaara's stomach, his nails sharp enough to tear straight through Gaara.

Gaara suddenly threw his legs forward and landed on top of Naruto's arm, he then jumped off of Naruto's arm with Naruto still gripping his wrist. He jumped at Naruto, who was just inches from him and sent an open palm strike straight into Naruto's face. Naruto was lifted off of the ground and flew back as that palm strike connected, pulling Gaara with him. As he was lifted off of the ground, he twisted Gaara's wrist and flipped them over so Gaara would land on his stomach. As Gaara's wrist was twisted and his body was flipped, he used Naruto's arm to flip himself so he was facing Naruto, he then put his other hand on the ground below him while simultaneously sending both feet into Naruto's stomach, knocking the air out of him.

Naruto released Gaara's wrist. Gaara took advantage of the moment; with his feet still in Naruto's gut and his hand on the ground he did a one handed back flip, successfully throwing Naruto across the field. He then completed his backflip and landed in a low crouch as Naruto was sent sailing. Naruto, now flying through the air, quickly tucked his head and spun his body so his stomach was facing the ground.

He landed on all fours while facing Gaara, the force of the throw causing his body to slide back as he plunged his nails into the ground to quickly stop his movement. Small gash marks were created as Naruto's claws sank into the earth. Gaara stood in a low crouch, his back facing Naruto, still on the tips of his toes. He then quickly stood up facing Naruto, and getting into the same stance from the beginning of the fight. All of this happened in a matter of seconds.

Naruto looked at Gaara before standing up with a smile. Gaara lowered his fighting stance and returned Naruto's smile. Inside Naruto and Gaara, Kyuubi and Shukaku watched with smiles on their muzzles.

 **"That's my little apprentice; you show him that the dancing fox style isn't to be messed with."** Kyuubi yelled happily, cheering Gaara on. Shukaku looked at Gaara and saw that his clothes had many slash marks on them.

 **"Good Naruto, you represent the fox claw style well."** Naruto and Gaara smiled at the comments from their respective Sensei before they slowly walked over to each other. Their tails entwined and Gaara suddenly jumped up and tackled Naruto to the ground. They fell to the ground and began rolling around playfully while filling the clearing with their joy filled laughs. They rolled around for a few minutes before both stopped and sat up, Gaara sitting in Naruto's lap. Gaara rested his head on Naruto's chest before a series of silent purrs began to emanate from the redhead.

It had been a year since they met each other and ever since then they had become very close friends. They did everything together, even when they were separated for their training, Kyuubi and Shukaku would have them spar frequently so they weren't separated much. They knew pretty much everything about each other, they could tell what the other was feeling or thinking just by body language. They were truly the best of friends.

In the year that they knew each other, they had both grown a little. They grew a few inches in height, but not much. Both of their hair had grown out much longer though. Naruto had long spiky hair that came down to about mid back. It branched out all across his back, his demon blood accelerating his growth. Some of his hair even branched out across his shoulders. For some reason his demon blood made his hair grow a lot faster than normal, the same for his claws. Gaara also had longer hair. But his hair was no longer spiky. It was silky and groomed, thanks to Kyuubi. It was about an inch longer than Naruto's. His long silky red hair ran freely down his back. Some of it branched out In front of his face but it was cut short so it wouldn't skew his vision.

During their training they had acquired a second tail. They just woke up one morning and they had a second tail. It didn't really surprise them much but they were curious about how they got it. Kyuubi explained that when their body and skill reach a certain level that they would grow a second tail. She explained that now that they had a second tail they got an extra amount of demon chakra. Originally their demon chakra was very low but now that they have their second tail, their demonic chakra has increased exponentially. Also now that they have their second tail their strength and speed has increased on many levels.

Shukaku explained that in order to get their third tail they would have to raise their chakra stores and control. The best way to do that was to learn jutsu. About a few weeks ago they had just started learning about how to use jutsu. They have been practicing hand seals and chakra control techniques. They were also told to use their chakra to enhance their abilities during battle which they had gotten quite good at. They only learned one jutsu so far, and it was a simple demonic cloning jutsu. It was similar to the shadow clone jutsu but it used demonic chakra. Also it was much more effective. The more chakra you pumped into one, the tougher and more skilled it got. Shukaku and Kyuubi wouldn't bother teaching the boys any human jutsu. They would use their human chakra to improve their combat ability during battle and their demonic chakra to do jutsu.

Naruto and Gaara now sat in the clearing, done with today's training. They were getting their rest because tomorrow was the start of their first day of school; it was time to get home. They had rested for about fifteen minutes in the clearing after they were done and it was already dark out. Naruto opened his eyes, Gaara still in his lap. He shook Gaara's shoulder a bit.

"Gaara wake up, it's time to go home." He whispered softly into his friend's ear. Gaara just moaned silently in his lap before hugging closer to Naruto in his sleep. Naruto smiled down at him before standing up and holding Gaara bridal style. He then walked over to their robes and picked them up with his tails. The robes weighed about fifty pounds each. They had pumped their chakra into the robes so they would weigh more and tare less easily. Naruto lifted the robes up with ease before hugging Gaara closer to him and taking off into the trees.

 **The next morning...**

Naruto was the first to wake at the start of the day. The sun shone through their room. Naruto slowly opened his eyes before climbing from under the covers revealing that he was only in his boxers. Naruto made his way to the middle of the bed before beginning his cat like morning stretches. His dark red furry ears flexed on top of his head. His two soft, fluffy, red tails straightened, stretching as well. As he finished, he got up and made his way to the window. Once there he looked out at the village with those big slitted red eyes of his. He bathed in the warmth of the sun before turning to the sleeping form of Gaara. Naruto smiled softly before walking over to the other boy.

Gaara was huddled within the covers, the fabric coming up to his neck. Now that Naruto wasn't there to cuddle into, he just laid on his back. His hair lay spread out across the sheets and pillow wildly, the pillow being his tails. Naruto stared at his sleeping form for a minute before climbing into the bed and straddling Gaara's waist. He then slowly bent down in front of Gaara's face and began to rub their noses together with a smile.

"Wake up Gaara-kun. We have to get ready for school." Naruto whispered in a tender tone. Gaara slowly opened his eyes with a giggle. His pitch black starred eyes looked up at Naruto with a smile.

"Good morning Naru-kun." Gaara whispered tiredly in a tiny, high pitched voice.

"Good morning Gaara-kun." Naruto responded back, grinning brightly down to his adored friend. Gaara giggled again as Naruto slowly moved back, allowing Gaara to get up. Gaara moved from over the covers and began his stretches as well. He was also only in his boxers. Naruto waited for him to get done stretching before making his way into the bathroom with Gaara following close behind. The children showered together, as they had done nearly every day since they met. Just an innocent act from two innocent kits.

An hour later Naruto and Gaara jumped across the roofs at a casual speed. Their first day of school was about to start in a few minutes. They were wearing their black robes, their long hair tucked into the back of their robes. Their hoods were up and partially covered their face. Of-course there was still the problem of someone seeing their demonic eyes but that problem was solved as well. Covering their eyes were black cloth blindfolds wrapped around their head. No one would be able to see their eyes and with their advanced demonic eyes, they had no problem seeing out of the blindfolds. The blindfold was knotted in the back of their heads and two long strips of cloth hung loosely, joining their hair.

Hiding behind the robes were also their two tails. They wrapped them around their legs. Of-course their robes were still too big for them and hung past their feet successfully hiding their tails. They still wore no shoes though no one would notice because of those oversized robes.

They moved side by side, their movements slightly different but still keeping the same speed. Naruto who had been trained by the powerful and straightforward Shukaku, moved with powerful leaps, keeping his body low, and launching into the sky quickly.

Gaara who had been trained by the graceful Kyuubi moved with ease and poise. He landed softly on the roofs, supporting his weight on his toes, before gently pushing off, skipping into the air. He jumped a little higher than Naruto but they still kept the same pace.

After a few minutes Naruto and Gaara made it across the village and to the Ninja Academy. Once there, they could see many children moving into the outdoor hallways and being dropped off by their parents. They looked around before jumping from the building they were on and walking towards the academy with their heads low. They already knew where their class was and so they joined the crowd. They drew some attention as they walked around completely covered up. The real reason they drew so much attention was that the two boys were unabashedly holding hands.

They held hands not just because it was comfortable but also because the contact soothed Naruto's nerves who was actually a bit nervous about his first day of school. Large crowds often made Naruto nervous. Before being taken in by Kyuubi, large crowds gathered around Naruto usually meant a mob. Of course most of the kids who saw them hold hands interpreted the gesture as a romantic one. The two kits already began to cause a few whispers from random children as they went to class.

Finally arriving at their destination, Naruto and Gaara stepped into the classroom and took in their surroundings. In the front of the class were two men, one with a slash across his nose, and one with shoulder length gray hair. In front of them were rows of seats, the seats went up into the back of the room. The seats rose up the further back the isles went, like a auditorium. Since it was only seconds until the bell rang the class was almost full. Many students looked at Naruto and Gaara with interest. Most whispers being heard when their hand holding was noticed. Suddenly they heard a deep but gentle voice to their side."No hoods in class."

The kits looked over to see the man with a scar across his nose looking over to them expectantly. Naruto and Gaara looked at each other before raising their sleeve covered hands and pulling down their hoods, revealing their fuzzy ears and revealing their blind folded faces. This began some murmurs around the class. "Why are they wearing blindfolds?" "What's up with those ear, I've never seen a bloodline like that." The man looked at them in shock, doing his best to hide his reaction from the class.

 _"I've never seen Naruto with those ears before, has the Kyuubi escaped? Even Gaara has them, what's going on?"_ He thought to himself before snapping back to reality.

"Do you think they are really blind?" Some random kids began to whisper. The man looked at them with curiosity.

"Can you take off your blindfold?" The man asked calmly.

"No." Naruto stated plainly. The man looked at them for a minute before shrugging.

"Ok, well please find a seat."

Naruto nodded before heading up the short stairs to the back of the class, Gaara following close behind. There weren't that many seats so they just went up to the back. The back rows were empty. Naruto let Gaara slide into the long row in the middle of the room before sliding in himself. He sat at the edge of the row. Once they were seated, Naruto and Gaara crossed their legs and sat down still maintaining the hand held position, fingers entwining now in an intimate manner despite the gossiping whispers pervading through the were given weird looks across the class. There were many different reactions, some thought they were just weird and some thought they looked cute with their ears. Naruto and Gaara ignored the looks while looking straight foreword. More whispering began to start as Naruto and Gaara made it to their seats without bumping into anything, proving they weren't blind.

As the bell rang they could hear footsteps running in the halls. After a few seconds a girl burst through the door huffing and puffing. As she caught her breath there were a series of giggles across the class. Once she caught her breath she looked down at the floor nervously before poking her fingers together.

"Um, am I late?" The man looked at her with a smile.

"No you're right on time, go find a seat."

She bowed slightly before making her way into the class. The students began to slide into the edges of the rows as she passed them, already deeming her "un-cool." As she moved up she could see that there was just enough space for her to sit down in the last row. She stopped and raised her head but still keeping it low. She stared at Naruto and Gaara's fuzzy ears, finding it easier to speak to them for some reason.

"Um can I sit here?" She said to Naruto. Naruto looked up at her eyes. Her pupils were huge, as if they were dilated. They were also lavender, a weird color.

 **"Ah, she is a Hyuuga son. They are known and feared across the world for their unique bloodline and fighting style, though this one doesn't look like she could scare a fly. She's a timid little thing."** As Kyuubi spoke, Gaara moved over a little already knowing Naruto's answer. Naruto looked up at her and nodded.

"Sure." A small smile crosses her face before she gave a small bow. Naruto moved over next to Gaara, giving her more space. The girl slowly sat down before looking over to Naruto shyly.

"My name is Hinata." She said while holding out her hand. Naruto looked at her hand before holding out his sleeved hand and shaking hers through his sleeves.

"My name is Naruto." A small blush crept across her face before she looked to the boy next to Naruto.

"Um," Naruto followed her vision to Gaara. Gaara looked over to Hinata with a smile before turning and reaching past Naruto, crawling on top of him slightly to shake the girl's hand.

"I'm Gaara, nice to meet you." Gaara stated in a sweet voice. Hinata smiled again, her blush deepening.

"Nice to meet you too." She said while letting go and looking to the front the class, the man was about to speak. But almost as soon as her eyes moved to the front of the class Hinata looked back to see Naruto and Gaara's fingers entwining once more in a warm embrace. She hadn't noticed it before but it was plainly obvious now that the two were holding hands. She couldn't hold back the blush that spread across her entire face.

 _"Oh they are girlfriend and boyfriend. Well at least they are nice."_ Hinata thought to herself, instinctively assuming that Gaara was a girl since his voice was so high and Naruto was clearly a boy. In fact most assumed that Gaara was a girl because of his features and his voice.

"Welcome to your first year at the Ninja Academy. I am Iruka, and this is my aid, Mizuki. We will be your sensei for the time that you are here." Mizuki just leaned against a wall and waved lazily. Iruka looked at the class before grabbing his clipboard and taking role. He called out names and they were followed with a loud "hear." There was one name that got an interesting reaction.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka called out. As he said this, it was followed with a low, silent, "hear." As the boy said this, many girls around the class sighed with smiles on their faces while looking at the boy in the corner of the class.

The boy was looking straight forward, seemingly uncaring. He didn't talk to anyone. He had short dark blue hair with pitch black pupils. He sat with his chin on his knuckles completely focused. A small smirk appeared on his face as he heard some of the girls sigh. Naruto and Gaara's ears twitched as they heard a conversation between two girls. Hinata took the chance to look up at their ears in fascination, fighting the urge to grab their furry ears while squealing "cute." Naruto and Gaara, not noticing Hinata's staring, looked over to a blond haired girl and a pink haired girl.

"That's Sasuke Uchiha of the Uchiha clan. They are one of the most powerful clans in the village. His big brother Itachi was a prodigy and I bet he will be too. Isn't he dreamy." The blonde girl said while letting out a small squeal. Iruka finished taking roll before starting the class. He grabbed a stack of papers and passed them out along with pencils.

"These are questions to test what you already know. Don't worry you aren't graded on these. Start now." Everyone looked at the paper and started answering what they knew. Naruto and Gaara looked at the questions before they both tilted their heads to the side at the same time with a perplexed expression. The questions seemed easy enough, at least to the demon kits who had been taught by a thousand year old demon. They picked up their pencils and quickly wrote down the answers. They finished before anyone else and dropped their pencils silently, Sasuke finished a few seconds after them.

Some people began to stare at Naruto, Gaara, and Sasuke before returning to their quiz. The next to finish was the pink headed girl before people started to finish, or didn't finish. Whether they did or not, after fifteen minutes, Iruka stopped them and started collecting the papers. He collected them all and went to the front of the class.

"As I review these you may have free time, you can go outside but you are to stay on school grounds." The class cheered before heading outside or gathering with friends. Naruto and Gaara jumped up on the long desk and made their way to the isle. As they began to walk out the class Gaara looked back at Hinata with a smile.

"Come on Hinata-chan." Hinata blushed and nodded while getting up and quickly catching up with them. They made their way out to the grassy yard to the side of the school and sat under a tree. Hinata followed them and sat down as well.

"So Hinata tell us about yourself." She nodded before telling them about her background, her family, her likes, favorite color, and more. Inside the class Sasuke watched from outside the window, next to his row. After and hour Iruka called them back in. There were books waiting on their desks. He told everybody to open it before starting a lecture.

Five hours later school ended and the children quickly left class. They met up with their parents and went home. Outside the school a man in an ambu mask waited for Hinata. She walked over to him while waving goodbye to Naruto and Gaara. They waved back before walking not, in the direction of their home, but to their spot in the forest. Once out of sight of the other students the kits took to the roofs and made their way to the clearing. They got there ten minutes later and pulled their robes above their head and tossed them to the side.

Naruto was wearing his tattered brown pants with no top. He had a slim body, not old enough yet to grow much muscle. Gaara was also wearing tattered brown pants but he had a white t-shirt on. They went to the opposite sides of the clearing before taking fighting stances.

" **So what did you two think of your first day of school?"** Kyuubi asked inside of them. She was cuddled up to Shukaku in her full demon form inside the demon cage.

"It was way too easy and boring; I don't think I want to go anymore." Naruto said while getting into a low crouch.

"But that Hinata girl was nice, I liked her." Gaara said while raising his right leg up high. Naruto thought for a minute before nodding his head.

"Yea she was nice, really shy but nice but I want a challenge." He said while smiling at Gaara and suddenly charging towards him. Gaara smiled with a nod before jumping at Naruto with a spin.

Inside Naruto and Gaara Shukaku was lost in thought. Kyuubi licked him on the muzzle and looked up at him.

 **"What are you thinking about Darling?"**

" **Their teacher, Iruka, he knows something's up, I can tell by the way he looked at Naruto and Gaara when he saw their ears."** He said while emitting low growls. Kyuubi rubbed her head under his chin and smiled.

" **Don't worry, as long they don't kill anyone or something like that than there is no reason for them to worry. Plus if he was going to do something he would have done it already."** Shukaku looked down at her and nodded.

" **Maybe, but we should still keep our eyes open."** Kyuubi smiled and purred while rubbing against Shukaku. Shukaku stared down at her with a smile. He knew Kyuubi knew what she was doing. She had probably already thought over every possibility.

" **You know I'm very proud of you Shuka-kun."** He looked down at her in curiosity.

" **You're proud of me, why is that?"**

" **Because you really care, before you only cared about them because if they died then you would die. But now you really care about them."** Shukaku thought about that for a minute. He did really care about them, like his own kits. He smiled at the thought before returning to his watch over them. Kyuubi looked up at Shukaku's smile before closing her eyes, buried in his fur. She knew he wouldn't let anything happen to his kits.

That's the end of this chapter, please review.


	6. Chapter 6

Declaimer: I do not own Naruto, some guy named Kishimoto Masashi does.

I really appreciate every review. Hope you all continue to enjoy~ I know I update this story rather infrequently so I'm posting this chapter pretty much right after the last one to hopefully hold you guys over until I put out the next one~

Ok I'm starting my sixth chapter.

Chapter 6

On with the Story

A man stood still in a room, arms folded behind his back in a disciplined manner. The room he stood in was adorned with lavish furniture and expensive decorations. He looked out of his window, that window overlooking the village he lead. This man was none other than the third Hokage, Sarutobi. Behind him was his desk and chair, the top of that disk filled with stacks of paper he had yet to attend to. He was always behind...so much to do. As he stood silently, Sarutobi turned his head slightly to look towards the door to his room. As if on cue there was a knock against the wood.

"Enter." Sarutobi spoke out in a calm yet gruff voice, taking out a pipe from within his robe.

Slowly the door creaked open and a shadowy figure stepped through. That figure wore a chunin uniform, a slash mark across his face. The figure took a few steps in before kneeling on one knee.

"Hokage-sama, may I have a moment?" The figure spoke in a respectful tone.

"Of course Iruka. And how many times do I have to tell you? You don't have to kneel to me." Sarutobi spoke with his back still facing Iruka, the old man staring out the window once more. Iruka nodded before standing up.

"At least once more, as always Hokage-sama." Iruka spoke with a soft smile. Sarutobi just nodded before taking another puff from his pipe, blowing smoke off to the side.

"How can I help you today Iruka?" Sarutobi asked in a curious manner, still looking out on his village. Iruka hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up in a tentative manner.

"It's about Naruto."

A little while later in Naruto's apartment…

Two figures lay motionlessly atop a large bed. Well, large relative to their small size. Those figures were none other than Naruto and Gaara, sound asleep even as the morning sun show through their window. The boy's were curled up close together, legs entwined, arms and tails wrapped around each other in an intimate embrace as they slept soundly.

Naruto was the first wake, eyes fluttering open tiredly to be greeted by Gaara's sleeping face. Naruto smiled in a content manner, taking a few minutes to just continue to lay there and stare at his best friend's peaceful expression. After a while though Naruto leaned his head forward and began to nuzzle his nose into Gaara's, giving his partner a little eskimo kiss.

"Gaara-kun, it's time to wake up." Naruto whispered in a tender tone, bringing a hand up to slide his fingers along the side of Gaara's face, up into his hair, to begin lightly massaging the other boy's scalp. Gaara sighed lightly in delight before stirring, his eyes fluttering open in a tired way to be graced by the sight of Naruto's welcoming expression.

"Five more minutes." Gaara said with a tender smile adorning his lips, gazing adoringly into Naruto's demonic, red, fox eyes.

"Ok, it's the weekend so we can take our time." Naruto stated simply, continuing to softly massage Gaara's scalp as they stared at each other in peace.

The first few months of school had flown by quickly for the two boys. They had both decided to continue going to school. Not so much for the education value, since Kyuubi had already taught them everything they were currently learning in school anyway; but mostly because of the social environment. Despite their appearance, the other kids had accepted them. Naruto wasn't obnoxious or goofy, or a "dobe." He, along with Gaara, mostly just kept to themselves and bonded with Hinata, who they had grown quite fond of. Both of them also showed themselves to be very advanced and it looked like, along with Sasuke, they would be the top of their class. Despite this fact the two boys were humble, and even drew the attention of a few girls in class. Gaara even drew the attention of some of the boys. Everyone thought he was a girl since his voice was so high and the two demon boys constantly held hands during class. But neither one of them cared very to school, living in the village, it was all just courtesy by now. They held no attachment to the village, the two never forgetting how cruel people could be, despite even the best of intentions.

So Naruto and Gaara stuck close to each other, trusting only each other, and their parents of course, who monitored their interactions with others very closely.

Having finally gotten up, Naruto and Gaara were currently taking a shower together. Despite both being naked, it was very innocent. They bathed each other and played, continuing to be the children that they were. Deep inside the recesses of their minds, Kyuubi and Shukaku watched from behind their cage, satisfied smiles on their faces.

While Naruto and Gaara continued to shower, both of them stopped at the same time. The ears on top of their heads twitched as a knock could be heard at the door to their apartment. They looked at each other in confusion, wordlessly. Who would ever knock on their door?

"I've got it. I'll be back ok?" Naruto spoke up, taking the initiative while leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss against Gaara's forehead, a display of affection they'd learn from watching Kyuubi and Shukaku. Gaara nodded happily before leaning forward and placing a kiss on Naruto's forehead as well. Being a little bit shorter than Naruto, Gaara had to rise up on his tippy toes.

Ok." Gaara replied in a tiny, sweet voice. Naruto nodded before grabbing a nearby towel and hopping out of the shower. Gaara stayed behind to finish in the shower by himself. After a quick moment of toweling off, Naruto opened the door to the bathroom and went into his room to grab his clothes. He dressed himself quickly as another series of soft knocks rattled against his door. Adoring his blindfold and hooded robe, putting his hood up, Naruto walked out of this room and over to the only door of his apartment. Without hesitation he opened the door.

Standing behind that door, his hand up, ready to knock against was a tall old man. The robes of the Hokage covering his body. He had a large pipe hanging from his lips. Sarutobi looked down on Naruto with a tired yet soft gaze.

"Hello Naruto." Sarutobi spoke gently. Naruto looked up in with a cheery smile. Of course it was him. Sarutobi was the only person that ever visited him. Though it had been a while since the last visit. He was always nice.

"Oh hey Old man. What's up?" Naruto spoke in a calm tone. Sarutobi shook his head lightly.

"Didn't I ask you to stop calling me that?" Sarutobi spoke with a sigh.

"Yep!" Naruto replied quickly, that big grin still across his face. When Naruto grinned Sarutobi couldn't help noticing the boy's elongated canines. In fact, he had been quickly taking in the boy's new look all together.

"May I come in?" Sarutobi asked politely. Naruto just nodded before stepping to the side, closing the door as the man entered. Sarutobi walked in casually, taking in the environment. Not much had changed about the house, at least not the living room at least. He did notice that the water was running in the bathroom but he didn't say anything. The old man walked over to the window, looking out once again on the poor, dreary neighborhood Naruto lived in. The morning sun did little to lighten the mood. If anything it gave light to the dirt and poverty that entangled the district. Naruto watched the Hokage closely, even behind that blindfold. And Naruto's adopted parents watched closely as well.

"So what's up?" Naruto asked casually while moving his arms in front of himself and slipping his hands into the sleeves of his robe, looking like a monk now. Sarutobi kept his back to Naruto before speaking.

"Naruto, can you remove that robe and blindfold. I know why you wear it. Please, let me see." Sarutobi spoke calmly. Naruto's eyes widened behind that blindfold, his body tensing up. Should he do it? How would the Hokage react? The boy was frozen with indecision.

" **Do it kit. And relax, you have nothing to fear from this man."** Kyuubi's voice rang inside Naruto's head. Naruto nodded obediently before lifting his hands to take off his blindfold first, revealing those feral eyes of his. Then off came the robe, revealing his furry red ears and the two slender tails that now swung freely behind him. Naruto now stood only in a pair of boxers, his arms crossed now as his courage returned to him. As Naruto stripped, Sarutobi turned around, his eyes widened in shock. The sight before him was...different. Had Kyuubi escaped? Was this truly still Naruto? Question raced through his mind but he appeared calm on the outside. Being a Master Ninja allowed for that.

"I see." Sarutobi spoke before taking a long pause. "Then Kyuubi is free?" He questioned while taking a puff of his pipe. Naruto just shook his head, arms still crossed.

"Nope. Mommy is still locked up." Naruto said in a "matter of fact" sort of tone while relaxing and placing his hands behind his head now. Sarutobi raised in an eyebrow.

"Mommy?" He questioned the fox-boy in front of him. Naruto just nodded.

"Mommy." Naruto repeated. Sarutobi stared down at Naruto for a moment before closing his eyes.

"I see. How long?" Sarutobi continued his questions.

"Just over a year now." Naruto answered with a small yawn, still waking up. Sarutobi continued to watch the boy closely. He still seemed to be Naruto, but he had to make sure.

"May I see?" Sarutobi asked in a respectful manner. Naruto paused for a moment.

" **Let him see."** Said Kyuubi, who still watched closely. Naruto nodded once more. Lowering his arms to his side while looking up to Sarutobi expectantly. Sarutobi nodded in acknowledgement before stepping towards the boy. He raised a hand and placed two fingers against Naruto's head, closing his own eyes.

Sarutobi now stood along a cliff, looking over a vast sea. The sun shone down upon him, the sounds of waves crashing against rocks below him rang in his ears. Animal noises resounded about. He could even make out what appeared to be seagulls in the distance. It was like a beach. The wind blew against his face gently, causing Sarutobi to sigh and close his eyes to enjoy the breeze.

" **Enjoying the view?"** Spoke a sultry voice from behind him. Sarutobi turned around slowly to be greeted by the sight of the nine tailed fox. But things were definitely different. She wasn't behind some cage in a dreary tunnel. She was now sitting in a grassy field on a park bench, a forest behind her. She was in human form, a red kimono adorning her curvy figure. Nine long fox tails rested behind her. To her side was a man Sarutobi didn't recognize. A dark skinned man with two raccoon ears atop his head. One large raccoon tail sat behind him as he sat right next to Kyuubi on that bench. His arms were resting on the back of the bench, one arm lazily draped around Kyuubi's shoulder. He only wore a pair of brown pants, his muscular chest exposed, showing off a slew of black tattoos and scars. His eyes were black, with gold diamonds decorating his pupils.

"You must be Shukaku." Sarutobi stated, still in a formal manner. Shukaku nodded silently, keeping his intense gaze fixed on Sarutobi. Sarutobi looked around before sighing. "So the seal is broken." He stated solemnly. Kyuubi let out a sultry chuckle when hearing those words, a confident smirk plastered across her face.

" **It's still intact. Don't have a heart attack."** Kyuubi stated in a taunting manner while gesturing over to a small shack where that piece of paper where the kanji for "seal," stuck to it. It was torn heavily, only a fourth of the paper still remaining. Kyuubi, sitting in a delicate posture with her legs folded, legs crossed over one another, then looking to Sarutobi calmly. **"Though maybe it's missing a piece of two."** The woman stated while tilting her head to the side and watching Sarutobi with an amused gaze. **"It's been a long time Sarutobi."**

"I know." Sarutobi replied, not really feeling much better about the situation, seeing the tattered state of that seal. "So…it seems you've added to your family." He went on, taking a puff of his pipe. Kyuubi narrowed her eyes slightly.

" **It won't replace the one your people stole from me, but yes, I have."** Kyuubi spoke in a low yet suddenly aggravated tone. Shukaku kept his face expressionless, letting Kyuubi do all the talking. Sarutobi shook his head.

"I've told you, it wasn't us. They were rogue-nin. We still hunt them to this day for what they did." Sarutobi replied, having had this conversation before. Kyuubi just snarled, baring her white, sharpened teeth.

" **Rogue nin from your village. Training by you, raises by you. You allowed it to happen. Take responsibility for the actions of your pathetic species, and your own mistakes."** Kyuubi snapped, though still maintaining her seated position. Sarutobi just sighed, turning a bit to the side to stare off at the see.

"I do every day. So what now. Will you use Naruto to get revenge? Even though the people in this village aren't responsible for what happened? Will you repeat the past?" Sarutobi asked, refocusing on Kyuubi. Kyuubi stared at him for a while before closing her eyes, calming herself.

" **I know who is to blame. But that isn't my point. You, humans, your capacity for love is only rivaled by your capacity to hate and sacrifice others for your own goals, even if it means doing monstrous things to your own kind. And while you live in chaos, other species must pay for your mistakes, and your ignorance. You know as well as I that Naruto should be seen as a hero by your pathetic village. Yet they treat him like scum."** She went on, speaking much calmer now. Sarutobi nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we humans are capable of horrendous things. But many of us still try to do the right thing. Are you so much better than us?" Sarutobi asked while looking down at his own hand in thought. Kyuubi just scoffed.

" **We'd never treat our own kind like you do. You humans rule this world, and yet you've squandered it on war, rape, slavery. This village is a testiment to your failure as a species to live in peace. You train your children to be murderers. Can you honestly say you've done the right thing?"** Kyuubi went on. Sarutobi paused for a moment before replying.

"It's the best we can do. We do what we must, same as you. We aren't so different Kyuubi." Kyuubi paused for a moment before looking past Sarutobi, out on the sea.

" **You are right, in many ways we are the same. But we demons have something you humans will never have. A bond, a love, a connection you can never know. That bond drives us to harmony as strongly as your human greed drives you to war. Your kind has failed Sarutobi. We both want the same thing, peace, to have our families grow up safe and happy. But you can never have that. It's against your nature."** Kyuubi lectured.

"And you can?"

" **Yes."**

"How?"

" **The only way you can understand is to become one of us."** Kyuubi explained. This caused Sarutobi to raise a brow.

"You would bring a human into your fold? Don't you just want to kill us all?" Sarutobi asked in confusion. Kyuubi just shook her head before looking over to Shukaku at her side, a tender smile adorning her face.

" **Yes, I would welcome everyone into my family. It may surprise you that I don't want to kill."** Kyuubi stated softly.

"Then what do you want?"

" **Peace."** Kyuubi explained shortly. They stayed their in silence for a while before Sarutobi finally spoke up.

"This peace, how many lives will pay for it?"

" **As many as is needed. Otherwise it won't last."**

"Do you really expect there to be peace from blood."

" **Yes. With humans, with your nature, there can be no other way."** Kyuubi stated bluntly.

"How long?" Sarutobi asked. Kyuubi just tilted her head curiously.

" **How long will the peace last?"** Sarutobi just shook his head.

"How long before you try to implement this "peace?" Sarutobi asked in a solemn manner.

" **You will be long gone before that. The time must be right. Because if we fail, we die."** Sarutobi quirked a brow at that.

"You are willing to risk you life and the lives of your family for this peace?" Kyuubi stayed silent for a long time, her eyes closing. This was a very important question.

" **If it means no other child will ever again have to endure what my boys have endured, if it means no other mother will ever have to endure what I have endured, then yes, it's worth the risk. And if I fail and we die, it will just be another chapter in Mankind's long and pointless bloody saga."** Kyuubi stated in a resolute matter. Sarutobi nodded in understanding.

"This peace, will it last."

" **It will."**

"Ok." Sarutobi stated before turning his back on the demons and walking to the edge of the cliff. He then turned his head to the side slightly, pipe still dangling from his lips.

"I trust you Kyuubi. I know you. I know what ever you have planned you've thought it through for longer than any human has lived. I know you wouldn't let harm come to your child, and you wouldn't go through with that plan if it wouldn't work. All I ask is that when the time comes, you make sure it lasts. Don't screw up." Sarutobi went on in a serious tone. Despite being lectured by a human Kyuubi nodded. She had great respect for this man. Probably the only human she respected. She no longer considered her children human.

" **I won't. But first I'm going to give my children the childhood they deserve."** The woman stated bluntly. Sarutobi nodded solemnly. none of this should have happened. Naruto should be looked on as a hero, but despite his guidance, he can't change human nature, not even of the villagers that look up to him. He nodded in understanding before breaking the link.

Sarutobi now opened his eyes, to be greeted by the bright, feral eyes of Naruto who was still staring up at him. They were still in the exact same position. Not much time had passed since time is distorted when entered Kyuubi's "cage."

"So how'd it go?" Naruto asked in a bubbly manner. He knew his mother and Sarutobi would meet again. She'd told him about the talks they used to have. Sarutobi just sighed.

"It went fine Naruto. But weren't you listening in?" Sarutobi inquired curiously. Naruto just nodded.

"I was, but I want to hear your impression. Mommy can be a bit...intense." Naruto said while giggling a bit and covering his mouth with both hands as he did. Sarutobi stared down at Naruto's innocent display before ruffling his hair.

"Yea she can be." Sarutobi said while his hands brushed at Naruto's new fox ears. At least they were new to him. Naruto let out a small murr of pleasure. As he did a door to their side opened and out stepped Gaara from the bathroom. He was covered from chest to toe with a large white towel. He had his eyes closed while wrapping another towel around his long red hair.

"So who was at the door Naru-kun?" Gaara asked before opened his eyes to see Sarutobi petting Naruto's head. Gaara's eyes widened in surprise as he froze up in shock. Naruto laughed lightly at Gaara before holding out his hand and gesturing the other boy over. Sarutobi pulled his hand away from Naruto's head and watched the two with his eyebrow raised, looking on as Gaara quickly darted over to Naruto and held his hand, huddling close to Naruto and whispering in his ear. Naruto placed a kiss against Gaara's head to reassure him.

"It's ok. He's nice." Naruto spoke gently to his partner. Gaara nodded in acknowledgement while clinging to Naruto's arm, still only wearing that towel. Sarutobi smiled warmly down at the two boys.

"I see. So here is the family. Anyone else I should know about?" Sarutobi asked while maintain that warm smile. Naruto shook his head.

"Nope, it's just us." Naruto answered while wrapping his arm around Gaara's waist and pulling their bodies closer, his tail wrapped around Gaara as well. Sarutobi watched the sight as a small red blush tinted his cheeks.

"Too cute." The old man thought to himself before walking past Naruto and Gaara.

"Well stay out of trouble you two. And Kyuubi, you might want to teach your boys some henge jutsu to hide their features. I can't control the behavior of other villagers." Sarutobi said before taking another step forward, but before poofing away he had one more thing to say.

"Stay together you two." He whispered before poofing away in a whirl of leaves.

Naruto and Gaara watched as Sarutobi left before Naruto suddenly picked Gaara up bridal style to walk him into their bedroom. Gaara let out a girlish squeal from that abrupt action.

"What was that all about Naru-kun?" Gaara asked in a worried tone. Naruto just shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you everything." He said while sitting Gaara down at the edge of their bed. He then moved over to their one dresser and pulled out a large brush that Gaara had made himself. Naruto returned to Gaara, handing the other boy the brush.

"Brush my hair?"

 **With Kyuubi...**

Kyuubi sat on the bench, looking out on the beach. Shukaku was no longer at her side. He was standing at the edge of the cliff, looking out on the ocean in thought. After a moment Kyuubi stood up, walking over to Shukaku with graceful steps. She stopped behind him and leaned into his back, placing her hand on his shoulders and lightly rubbing against his flesh.

" **What are you thinking Love?"** Kyuubi asked in a gentle tone. Shukaku didn't respond immediately. But after a moment he spoke up.

" **What you have planned, can you really do it?"** He asked in a worried tone. Something Kyuubi wasn't used to hearing. She sighed and laid the side of her head against Shukaku's back, enjoying the feel of his muscles against her cheek.

" **Not only can I do it, but I will do it. Nothing will stop me. I have to do it...for them."** The women said in a resolute manner, her eyes drifting off as she thought of her boys who were currently enjoying each other's company. Shukaku nodded, satisfied with that answer. He then turned around and embrace her with strong arms, standing a good bit taller than she did, his body towering over her.

" **Good."** He spoke shortly before falling back, bringing Kyuubi with him as they both fell off the cliff and into the sea, both with content smiles on their faces.

 **Back in Naruto's apartment...**

Naruto sat along the floor, his head resting between Gaara's legs. Gaara sat on the edge of the bed, cradling Naruto's head while using that custom made brush to groom through Naruto spiky locks. The activity was futile. Naruto's hair was just too rough, but he did it because Naruto enjoyed it. It was like a massage. As Gaara brushed his partner's hair Naruto explained the happenings that went on with Sarutobi.

"Mommy sounds like she's going to destroy the world or something." Gaara commented with a matter-of-fact sort of way. Naruto just shrugged.

"Who knows. She hasn't exactly told me her plan or what it entails. And from the way she spoke, we won't have to worry about it for a long time." Naruto guessed.

He then stood up, stretching his back a little bit. Gaara watched him idly, placing the brush to the side. Naruto turned around to face Gaara, staring down at him with a mixed gaze. Gaara stared back, averting his eye for a bit.

"I just wish we could all live in peace and be safe." Gaara whispered. Naruto nodded before leaning forward and placing his hands at the side of Gaara's hips, clutching into the sheets of the bed the shorter tween currently sat on. In that position the two demon boy's faces were separated by barely an inch, their breath berating softly against each other.

"Peace won't come easy. We have to fight for it." Naruto stated bluntly while continuing to stare intensely into Gaara's black eyes. The redhead then began to scooch back on the bed slowly as Naruto followed him on all fours. Now in the middle of the bed, Gaara lowed himself atop the cushion, laying down on his back now while Naruto hovered over him. Slowly Naruto descended, allowing himself to fall restfully atop Gaara's small form in a careful fashion. The blonde tween turned his head and rested his cheek on top of Gaara's chest.

"But no matter what happens, I won't let anything happen to you." Naruto whispered while staring off to the side. Gaara brought his hands down to entwine all ten of his fingers in Naruto's hair, scratching at his partner's scalp.

"But what if something happens to you? I don't think I'd be able to handle it." Gaara explained in a pain-filled voice. Naruto raised his head up to look up at Gaara's face, sliding upwards so his face was hovering barely an inch above Gaara's. He stared unblinkingly down at the other boy.

"You will never lose me. I will become strong to make sure." Naruto explained before kissing Gaara on the forehead. Gaara still had his hands entangled in Naruto's hair, with no intention of letting go. He looked up to Naruto with an adoring gaze.

"Promise me." Gaara stated hopefully.

"I promise, you will never lose me." Naruto said confidently before lowering his head down to nuzzle his face into the side of Gaara's neck. The smaller tween closed his eyes and let a gentle breath escape his throat. Hearing Gaara's sweet voice was always pleasing to Naruto's ears. He wanted to reward his partner and encourage the other boy to keep making those adorable noises. And of course Naruto knew exactly how to make that happen.

The golden haired demon child parted his lips to allow that small tongue of his to snake outward to apply light licks into the side of Gaara's neck. Naruto lavished a few spots of Gaara's smooth, sweet smelling skin in sticky saliva. Having just got out of the shower the redheaded tween was delightfully fresh. The sensation sent a shiver up the smaller boy's spine, causing Gaara to arch his back, forcing their chests to grind together. Just like Naruto wanted, his tiny partner let out another soft breath, this time it was also accompanied by a barely audible, high pitched squeak of pleasure.

"Naru-kun…" Gaara whispered in a shaky voice.

"Yes?" Naruto responded back gently before applying another soft lick. Gaara's eyes scrunched closed, the redhead biting into his bottom lip in a bother.

"...Nothing." Gaara replied, his face flushed a bright red.

That response only encourage Naruto more. Soon the adolescent fox demon began to trail little nips and kisses down Gaara's neck and across his collarbone something he'd seen Shukaku do to Kyuubi. Soft suckling noises began to emanate from Naruto's mouth as he continued, the boy's fiery fox eyes staring at Gaara's face to gauge his reaction.

By now Gaara was in heaven, the boys petite form writhing uncontrollably. The little tween still had his eyes closed, his pouty lips parting in order to constantly release those adorable squeaks and gasps of approval. Naruto couldn't take his eyes off of Gaara's pretty face.

The two were still just children, their feelings confusing and undeveloped. Naruto could never truly put into words the way he felt about his friend. He probably wouldn't be able to for a few years to come. But that didn't stop him from showing his adoration as frequently and as intimately as he knew how.

"Gaara-kun...may I try something?" Naruto questioned while staring down at his partner. Gaara's eyes opened into a half lidded gaze to look dreamily into Naruto's eyes.

"Like what?" Gaara's was barely able to speak those words, his breath heavy, the boy breathing almost in a panting manner from how his body was beginning to heat up.

"Just something I saw Mommy and Daddy doing." Naruto explained. Without hesitation Gaara nodded his head.

"You can do what you want to me...I don't mind." Gaara whispered while letting his eyes trail off in a bashful manner, a subtle smile growing across his lips. Naruto's initial reaction was to display that bright, cheerful grin. Soon however, that grin contorted into a sly smirk, the boy's eyes narrowing into a playful predatory gaze.

"Good." Naruto growled up in a husky way in a manner reminiscent of his father. Without hesitation Naruto closed the distance between their bodies once more.

Naruto began trailing another line of kisses up the side of the redhead's neck, jawline, chin, to finally settle his face directly above Gaara's. They were so close that Naruto's lips lightly grazed the luscious lips of the other much more effeminate tween. They didn't kiss however, the contact of lips being an innocent mistake. But Naruto did use the closeness to nuzzle his nose against the other boys, sharing in that familiar innocent gesture.

Naruto behavior wouldn't stay so innocent as he began to move his face higher until his mouth grazed against the outer flesh of Gaara's furry raccoon ear. Naruto hesitated for just a moment, trying to picture the thing he saw Shukaku doing to Kyuubi. But after only a moment of recollection Naruto opened his mouth wide before chomping down on the tip of Gaara's ear. The bite was firm at first causing Gaara to gasp out loud, but then Naruto began to deliver little nibbles into the flesh followed by a slow rolling of his tongue against Gaara's inner ear. A violent shudder of pleasure crept up the smaller tween's spine from the blissful sensation pulsing through his delicate form.

Gaara's thick lashes began to flutter uncontrollably. There were feelings welling up in Gaara's chest which happened often during these...activities. Feelings the adolescent didn't understand. But Gaara liked the feeling and enjoyed them every time Naruto made him feel that way, even if he also was too young to truly comprehend it.

"I...really like that Naru-kun." Gaara admitted innocently. The confession caused Naruto to release a devious snicker while pulling his mouth away from Gaara's ear and lowering his face to be level with his beloved best friend.

"I noticed." Naruto teased while reaching a hand up to gently sweep a few bits of Gaara hair from his face. Naruto's then slid his fingers down the side of Gaara's head until he was gently cradling Gaara's cheek within his palm.

"We can do that more often if you like." Naruto spoke in a sweet tone down to his best friend. Gaara closed his eyes and begin to nuzzle the side of his face against Naruto's palm, sighing happily in approval of the tender touch. The redhead then fluttered his lashes once more, staring up in infatuation.

"I'd like that."

The two demon boys stared at each other for a long time in pure silence, the only sound they made was their soft breaths which berated against the other's face. Because their little chests were pressed together in that lying position they could even feel each other's heart beats, the thumping pounding rapidly between them. Naruto was shirtless, wearing only his boxers since he just recently got out of the shower. But Gaara still wore that long towel wrapped around his entire petite frame. The thin veil of a towel was the only thing that separated their bodies from pressing against each other directly, not that they hadn't done so plenty of times before.

After a while the smaller tween removed his slender fingers from Naruto's hair only to have Naruto instantly reach forward to clasp at his partner's hands, entwining their fingers, and positioning Gaara's dainty hands at the side of Gaara's head. Since Naruto was on top it appeared as though the larger boy was pinning his smaller partner. And that's exactly what Naruto was doing, a playful gesture they both began to enjoy recently. Gaara didn't mind, he trusted Naruto, and being pinned always made the effeminate tween feel...well maybe he'd understand his feelings one day.

"So what are we going to do today? I don't want to waste our one day off." Naruto spoke in a gentle whisper while attempting to entangle his legs with the boy lying below him.

The smooth skin of their shins rubbed together lightly. Gaara was still wearing that long towel which flowed down his entire form. In order for their legs to be properly entwined like they wanted Naruto began to force the rough material of that semi-damp towel up Gaara's legs a bit, wrinkling the fabric. The smaller boy's body was gradually being revealed as Naruto ran his knee slowly between Gaara's thighs, trying to move that garment out of the way to give the golden haired adolescent full access to his partner's two slender limbs.

Naruto was only satisfied when he'd pushed that towel up to Gaara's skinny upper thigh, just a few inches from revealing the redhead's hidden nethers. But Naruto didn't need to go that far. His goal was accomplished. Now that the towel was bunched up so high Naruto would have full leeway to entangle his legs with the other's boys, the skin of their thighs, ankles, shins, and knees scraping across one another in a deliberately slow and sensual manner. Another habit they'd picked up from watching their demonic adoptive parents.

Gaara's mind was awash in bliss, loving the closeness he shared with his beloved best friend. It took him a long while to respond to the question that Naruto posed.

"Well...I was thinking we could practice our demonic cloning Jutsu." Gaara finally responded in a breathless and dreamy tone. Naruto raised a brow curiously.

"What did you have in mind?"

Thanks for Reading! Please review~


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks again for the lovely reviews~ Please continue to enjoy~

Ok I'm starting my Seventh Chapter

Chapter 7

 **On with the Story**

A girl sat alone in her room while looking down at a stack of book in front of her. She had lavender eyes with seemingly dilated pupils. Short purple hair flowed down from her head, blowing lightly from the gentle breeze which came from her window. Her room was impeccably clean, her entire house deathly silent. Though she knew her family was nearby. This girl was none other than Hinata Hyuuga, and even on a weekend she was entrenched in her studies.

After a while of staring at her textbook the girl lifted her head up, looking out the window which was located to her side. She sighed with a solemn gaze. As she daydreamed Hinata turned her head towards the closed door to her room in alarm, hearing footsteps approach. Quickly she returned to her studies as the door opened. A man stepped through, his eyes similar to Hinata's, their resemblance striking as well. He stood there in silence for a while before finally speaking.

"I'm going out. Don't slack on your training." He stated in a commanding tone.

"Yes father." Hinata said in a soft, but low tone, avoiding his gaze. He nodded before turning around but before leaving the man turned his head to speak once more.

"Tomorrow you will be sparing with Hanabi. Don't disappoint me again." He commanded before gently closing the door behind himself and walking off. Hinata listened for his steps to fade before releasing a deep breath. The last time she had sparred with her sister, despite being older, she had lost. Hinata while being slightly more skilled, didn't have the will to fight with all she had, for fear of harming her younger sibling. Hanabi however had no such drawbacks. They sparred many times but she always held back, something her father didn't overlook. He considered that merciful trait a weakness. Hinata it seems, couldn't help but be a disappointment no matter how much she studied or how much she practiced. Ever since her mother died, nothing was the same.

As Hinata hung her head low, staring down at her book, though not really paying attention to it since she was so distracted by her own thoughts, something off to the side caught her eye. A small dandelion seed fly slowly into her window. She watched it flow in with a light smile. But that seed was followed by another, and another. Soon dozens of dandelion seeds were flying gently into her room. Hinata looked on in confusion before standing up and walking over to her window to investigate. She moved her head outside the window, looking left to right, only a small clearing visible, as well as the forest of trees a little away from her house. Soon another series of dandelion seeds fell from above. Looking up, Hinata went wide eyed as she noticed where they were coming from.

Naruto and Gaara sat on a nearby tree branch, smiling down to Hinata in a tender way.

"Hello Hinata-chan." Both the boys chimed at once. Though they spoke those words in more of a whisper. Hinata let out a small "eep" of surprise before quickly covering her mouth. She noticed that they were in their long black robes.

"What….are you doing here?" Hinata asked in a panic, whispering as well. Naruto and Gaara suddenly jumped down from the branch to land right in front of Hinata's window, which was on the first floor. Naruto spoke up first.

"We wanted to see if you could come out and play." Naruto said in a cheerful manner while holding a dandelion and blowing a bunch of seeds in her face. A small blush creeped across Hinata's cheeks from the gesture. She started to shake her head, a frown crossing her face.

"I can't. I need to study." She said sadly. Naruto and Gaara both cocked their heads to the side in confusion.

"But why? We didn't get homework. And you are already one of the smartest in the class anyway." Naruto spoke honestly. Hinata blushed against at that comment, the girl now standing up straight to begin nervously poking her fingers together. Despite Naruto and Gaara being her friends at school, they had never hung out after school. Plus she was still getting used to the two boys. Hinata was a very shy girl. And it usually took her a while to make up her mind about the things she wanted to say. Thankfully, Naruto and Gaara were very patient with her, and very encouraging. Despite only knowing each other a few month, they had a very good friendship blossoming

"Honestly, I've already read the book my father wants me to study. He thinks that if I read a book about past wars maybe I'd be able to fight harder. But...it just doesn't work. Even so, if I leave I'll be in big trouble." Hinata explained. Naruto and Gaara both nodded in understanding.

"You are so kind Hinata, I can see why you'd have troubles, especially being a Hyuuga. But there is a place for everyone. We want to be their for you no matter where you destiny leads you." Gaara spoke now moving forward, placing a hand on the window seal and extending his other hand towards Hinata. "Please...let us be there for you." Gaara pleaded in a gentle, kind tone. Hinata did like how Gaara talked, his voice was so...soothing. Hinata hesitated for a moment before nodding and taking Gaara's hand. As always his hand was so soft. She stepped over the window seal, hopping onto the ground still holding Gaara's hand. Gaara smiled in satisfaction, squeezing her palm affectionately. Hinata just continued to blush before looking around in paranoia.

"What if...my father comes back and I'm not there." She asked in a worried tone. Naruto just smiled off to her side before making a series of hand signs. Suddenly a pillar of flame erupted at his side causing Hinata to jump a bit and cling closer to Gaara side. Both her and Gaara were pretty much the same size, Naruto being the tallest of the three. Gaara smiled before embracing her in a tender hug to reassure her.

"It's ok Hinata, this is just one of our Jutsu." Gaara whispered. Hinata nodded in understanding, Gaara's soft voice again helping to sooth her nerves. That flame burned for a while before a figure stepped from the pillar. Hinata gasped as she saw it. It looked like an exact replica of herself. It even stood like she did. The clone then took tentative steps forward, hanging it's head low while looking at Hinata.

"Um...I'll cover you ok?" The clone spoke in Hinata's voice. Hinata stared from Naruto to the clone before nodding in disbelief. The clone then nodded before hopping back through the window and taking a seat at the desk Hinata occupied a few minutes ago. Naruto smiled in satisfaction before stepping forward towards Hinata, holding out his hand.

"It was really hard to sneak into this Hyuuga compound without being seen. If you let me carry you, I can make sure no one notices us leave." Naruto explained. Hinata hesitated for a minute, poking her fingers together nervously for a moment before nodding once more and taking Naruto's hand.

"Ok." As soon as she said those words, Naruto suddenly moved forward and picked Hinata up bridal style. She had to cover her mouth to stop herself from shrieking. Instinctively her arms wrapped around Naruto's neck. As soon as he saw that Naruto nodded to Gaara before taking off into the trees. Naruto and Gaara moved side by side through the trees, keeping to the outskirts of the village, taking the long way around towards their clearing to avoid being seen. Hinata kept her eyes closed most of the time. They were moving so fast, it was kind of overwhelming.

After a while Naruto and Gaara suddenly jumped from a tree towards a pond, sailing through the air quickly. Hinata turned her head to see that they were about to fall into the water. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the splash that never came. Instead she heard much smaller splashing noises, opening her eyes to notice that Naruto and Gaara were both RUNNING ON WATER?

Hinata was completely amazed by now, staying completely silent as the three finally made it to the clearing. Once there Naruto slowly set Hinata down on her feet. As one of her foot touched the ground, Hinata suddenly collapsed forward, her knees shaky and unable to support her from having moved so fast. Both Naruto and Gaara moved their arms forward to catch her, gripping around her waist. She took a moment to catch her breath before standing up straight and turning around to face the two boys. She looked at them in awe before taking in her surroundings. They were in a large open clearing with grass that reached their ankles. Flowers covered the clearing, and a pond was not that far away.

"I never knew this was here." Hinata stated in a dreamy fashion. Naruto and Gaara looked at each other before smiling warmly.

"Yes...this is where we spend most of our time. Training, playing, eating, sleeping. Everything really." Naruto spoke while walking past Hinata to begin spinning in circles with his arms out, closing his eyes and enjoying the fresh air. Both Hinata and Gaara watched Naruto with an adoring gaze.

"Hinata, I think it's time for us to tell you something. A secret." Gaara spoke from behind. Hinata turned to face Gaara, her eyes showing her confusion.

"A secret? What kind of secret?" She asked, looking from Naruto to Gaara. Naruto had stopped his spinning by now to return to Hinata's side. Naruto and Gaara stood on opposite sides of Hinata, nodding towards each other silently. Without a word both of them began to strip. They lowered their hoods, revealing the furry ears that everyone already knew about. But then they took off their blindfolds, showing their modified eyes. But they didn't stop there. They reached their arms down to lift their robes up and off their body. Hinata was blushing profusely at this point. But her eyes went wide when they revealed what was underneath.

"This is what we really hide under these robes." Naruto said, standing in his boxers with his two golden fox tails swaying behind him. Gaara had two brown raccoon tails swaying behind himself as well, the boy was however wearing tattered pants and a baggy shirt which he had yet to grow out of. Hinata looked frantically from Naruto to Gaara, swiveling her head rapidly.

"You two...have tails? And those eyes?" She stammered, clearly overwhelmed by the information. Naruto and Gaara just nodded before Gaara moved forward to stand at Naruto side, resting his head along the boy's shoulder.

"We are the children of Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox, and Shukaku, the one-tailed Raccoon demon." Naruto stated. Hearing that information Hinata's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she suddenly fainted, her world going black.

 **A while later...**

Warmth, and softness. Those were the feelings that surrounded her body as she began to stir from her slumber. Something was rubbing her back, and holding her close. Hinata smiled softly with a warm smile, nuzzling into whatever or whoever was currently holding her so tenderly.

"Good morning mommy." Hinata whispered in a dreamy fashion.

"It's actually still the afternoon Hinata-chan." A voice replied back. The voice was soft, tender, but...not her mother's. Groggily Hinata's eyes began to flutter open, her blurring vision becoming more clear as she looked up to the loving face of Gaara. His long, silky, waist length red hair was covering her in a veil. She looked around to notice that Gaara had her held close, cradling her like a baby.

"Gaara-chan?" She questions while rubbing her eyes. Gaara just smiled before nodding and leaning down to place a soft kiss against Hinata's forward, an action which surprised the girl and caused her cheeks to burn red.

"Yes it's me Hinata-chan. You passed out, but we made sure you were safe." Gaara explained. Hinata looked on with confusion before the memories of their previous conversation came flooding back to her mind. And as they did, Hinata noticed Gaara's eyes, his ears, but she couldn't see his tails. Well not until she looked down at her own body. His tails were wrapped around her, covering her in a furry blanket. Before she could really panic her attention was diverted to the side where a loud grunt rang through the clearing they were still in.

Naruto was currently sparing with a clone of himself. Naruto and his clone dashed around the field, clawing and swiping at each other at blazing speeds. Hinata watched in amazement, not really able to keep up with Naruto's movements. She then returned her gaze to Gaara who was still cradling her.

"Um...I think I'm fine now." She whispered in a hesitant manner. Gaara nodded before releasing his grip on her and letting his tail fall freely from her body. Quickly Hinata stood up and took a few steps back from Gaara. He had put his black robe back on, though Naruto didn't bother, sparring off to the side. Gaara was kneeling in the grass, placing his now free hands gently atop his own lap. Gaara looked to Naruto as he spoke.

"It's no surprise. Your reaction. We were stupid. It was a mistake to give you all that information at once. I've sorry Hinata-chan." Gaara said in a solemn manner while gazing up at Hinata. Hinata froze for a second, hearing Gaara sound so sad was...unsettling. She then shook her head, causing her purple hair to bounce around.

"It's ok. I...shouldn't have reacted the way I did. It was rude of me. I'm sorry." Hinata said while bending at the waist to deliver an apologetic bow to Gaara. Gaara just smiled softly up at her.

"No need to apologize. You took it pretty well all things considered." Gaara replied in a encouraging manner. Hinata smiled at that. In all her shock and awe, she had nearly forgot why she like Gaara in the first place. But soon her smile faded, and a nervous expression crossed her face while looking towards Naruto.

"So it's true. You both. You are the children of Kyuubi and Shuk...um..who is the other one?" Hinata asked, a little embarrassed that she'd forgotten the other name. She could have sworn she'd read about that the demon Shukaku in a book. Gaara just let out a small, high pitched giggle, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Shukaku." He stated simply. Hinata nodded, blushing in embarrassment.

"Oh yes." She stated shortly. Gaara then stared up at her before sighing.

"I'm sorry we told you. I guess you weren't ready. We thought that maybe...someone else..." Gaara trailed off before shaking his head. His long red hair was now splayed across the ground, covering most of his body since he was in a kneeling position. "Forget it, If you don't want to speak to us again we understand." As he said this Naruto stopped his sparring to look over towards Gaara and Hinata, his hesitation causing him to be punched in the face by his clone. He growled as he was knocked back before dismissing the clone. Hinata gasped, looking from Naruto to Gaara in a panic. Suddenly she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around Gaara's neck and embracing him in a hug.

"No, please no. I'm sorry if I offended. I was just...surprised. It's ok. Please don't stop being my friend." Hinata pleaded with tears threatening to stream from her eyes. Gaara was a bit surprised by Hinata's actions but he didn't hesitate in wrapping his arms around her small body and embracing her in an affection hug.

"We won't Hinata. As long as you will have us, we will stay with you." Gaara replied, looking up as Naruto approached. Sensing his approach, Hinata held on to Gaara's neck, though she turned a little to the side to look towards Naruto. The sight of him caused her to tear her gaze away in a fluster.

Naruto was sweating profusely, the sweat glistening as the sun shone down upon him. His lean and slightly muscular figure was shown off perfectly. Despite still being a pre-teen, Naruto's demonic chakra had allowed his body to develop muscle faster than normal. He didn't really look older than his actual age, but his body was more...fit for combat. He stood completely naked, something which Hinata had overlooked in all the excitement. His two fluffy fox tails were wrapped around his waist, effectively obscuring his privates. Naruto was shirtless however, standing casually over the two with his head cocked to the side. Hinata could barely even steal a glance towards Naruto without her face burning like a tomato.

"I think it's time we told you everything." Naruto said while sitting down with his legs crossed Indian style.

Naruto and Gaara told Hinata everything. About Kyuubi and Shukaku, about why Kyuubi attacked the village, and how Konoha missing-nin had destroyed Kyuubi's previous family. About how the village treated Naruto and Gaara. And about how Kyuubi and Shukaku had taken them in. When all was said and done, Hinata stared quietly towards Naruto. The entire time she and Gaara were still huddled together. Hinata clung to Gaara for support. Gaara was very...motherly.

"So everyone hates you for being the demon carrier. But they should view you as a hero." Hinata stated in confusion. Naruto just shrugged.

"Yea." He stated bluntly while raising a hand to slick his hair back, removing his long golden bangs from obscuring his vision. Hinata went silent for a moment before looking to Gaara.

"I'm so sorry. You've both been through so much." She spoke in a sad voice, Gaara just smiled down at her before reaching a free hand towards Naruto. Naruto moved towards Gaara to hold his hand, still sitting down. He then looked to Hinata with a bright grin.

"It's not so bad. I mean, I met Gaara, and my mom and dad, so I think I've done well." Naruto said while laughing quietly to himself. Hinata just looked at him with a small smile, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

"That's true." Hinata stated in a happy manner while looking from both Gaara to Naruto, noticing how affection they were towards each other. That's why they were so close. To her, despite how terrible their story was, she saw the beauty in it. Gaara smiled when seeing Hinata's frame soften. He then began to rise from his kneeling position. Hinata let him go, blushing once more when realizing just how long she had been clinging to Gaara's form. Naruto rose up from his sitting position to move close to Gaara, wrapping an arm around the other's boy's waist and tugging him close.

Gaara let out a little delighted squeak when feeling that embrace, moving to clutch into the taller boy's arm. The sight caused Hinata's face to burn an even brighter shade of red, the girl averting her gaze in embarrassment.

"You are the first person we've told Hinata-chan. It's something we've had to keep to ourselves. Just us." Gaara spoke out in a that heavenly voice of his, tilting his head up to look adoringly at Naruto, there was a somber hint in his tone. Naruto turned to face Gaara, wrapping both his strong arms around the smaller boy's waist now. They gazed deeply into each other's eyes. Hinata just stayed silent, watching in fascination.

"And we could deal with that. Just us." Naruto said while placing a gentle kiss against Gaara's forehead, the gesture causing the other boy to close his eyes and lay his head against Naruto's chest. In the intimate embrace the boy's stayed silent for a while before both looked over to Hinata, now noticing just how flushed her face was.

"Is there something wrong Hinata?" Gaara asked in a curious voice. Hinata just shook her head and coughed a bit in embarrassment, trying to stop herself from staring.

"No, it's just...you two make a great couple. I don't think I've ever seen boyfriend and girlfriend as close as you are. It's just..nice to see." The girl stated while bowing her head and clutching her hand to her chest, a small smile stained across her face. It felt so good to just be around them, and they were letting her stay. This was one of the happiest moments she could remember.

As Hinata finished her sentence Naruto and Gaara looked at the girl in confusion.

"Um...what?" Naruto questioned in a stunned manner. The two boys then looked to each other before back at Hinata. Gaara was the first to speak, drawing Hinata's attention.

"Um...Hinata-chan…" Gaara whispered in a tentative tone. Hinata looked up with her head tilted slightly to the side.

"Yes Gaara-chan?" The girl responded in a soft voice.

"You do know I'm a boy right?" Gaara continued. Hinata froze for a moment, her eyes staring at Gaara in disbelief. She wasn't the only one who assumed Gaara was a girl. In fact this was the first time he'd ever corrected anyone. Most people referred to him as -chan. And called him a girl. And he didn't care enough to correct them because he and Naruto were so distant at school. To everyone but Hinata.

"What?" Hinata stated in a stunned, voice, her eyes wide. Gaara smiled warmly while turning his body towards Hinata. As he did that Naruto moved behind Gaara, Naruto's arms still wrapped around Gaara's waist, folding his hands against Gaara's covered belly. Naruto now rested his chin atop the other boy's shoulder. Gaara tilted his head to the side with a perplexed expression across his face. The two boys were completely oblivious to how their behavior seemed so intimate to others. Their closeness just came natural to the demon kits.

"I'm...a...boy." Gaara repeated slowly before releasing a tiny high pitched giggle, raising a dainty hand to cover his mouth as he released that laughter. Doing so in the same way Kyuubi did. Gaara was really taking after Kyuubi, behaving in a sensual, graceful fashion. Hinata stared for a long time before suddenly raising both her hands up and clutching her head as she exclaimed louder than either boy had ever heard before.

"What!?"

Thanks for reading! Please review~


	8. Chapter 8

Ok, I'm starting my eighth chapter enjoy.

Chapter 8

On with the story

The sun rose as morning once again met the village of the leaf. The light shined down on the apartment of two boys sleeping soundly, as always their bodies tangled in an intimate embrace. Their legs were entwined, their furry tails wrapped around each other's waist. Gaara's forehead rested against Naruto's bare chest, his hands bunched up and clasping at the hair that flowed down Naruto's torso. Adorning Naruto's hips were his usual boxers. Gaara however was wearing something a little different today. In the weeks that Hinata had been officially welcomed into their fold, all three of them had grown even closer. Gaara wore the evidence of his friendship with Hinata.

Flashback

Hinata and Gaara sat at the edge of their clearing, watching Naruto as he sparred with his clone. This had become routine. Even though Gaara still trained, he also enjoyed his free time. However Naruto used pretty much all his free time to continue training. They watched as Naruto fought five of his clones, all of them beating on Naruto who simply sat in a crouch taking the hits without defending himself. A form of endurance training Shukaku had taught him.

Gaara sat kneeled in the grass, his hands gracefully placed atop his own lap. Hinata sat kneeled behind him, braiding his hair idly as she and him conversed. Gaara was currently wearing his black robe.

"So all you have is that black robe and those tattered clothes?" Hinata asked with a frown as she twisted another couple of long strands of Gaara's hair into a braid. Gaara just slightly nodded his head.

"Yes. I never really needed more clothes. It's easy to wash and maintain." Gaara spoke in his normal gentle tone. Hinata just continued to frown.

"I can understand Naruto doing that, I mean." She trailed off while glancing at Naruto who was once again naked, being covered only by one of his tails which he used to wrap around his pelvis to guard his sex. Hinata then refocused on the braid. She was still trying to get used to Naruto's...openness.

"...Naruto is kind of...um...how do I say this?" Hinata paused, trying to chose her words.

"A brute." Gaara said while releasing a light giggle. Hinata just blushed and bowed her head in embarrassment.

"I didn't want to say it that way." Hinata spoke sheepishly. Gaara turned his head to the side slightly to glance towards the girl with a knowing expression.

"It's ok, he's Shukaku's disciple. They take pride in it." Gaara said in a reassuring voice. Hinata just nodded at that.

"I'm not exactly like Naruto, but I don't need much else. Besides, I couldn't afford to buy more clothes anyway." Gaara continued. Hinata frowned at that. She forgot how humble a lifestyle the two boys lived.

"I'll fix that." Hinata said in a determined fashion.

"You really don't have." Gaara attempted to reply before he felt a small tug on his hair, the tug causing him to crane his head back to now look up at Hinata through an upside down viewpoint. Hinata looked down at him with her Byakugan flared.

"I'll fix that." Hinata repeated before relaxing her grip on Gaara's hair. Gaara just nodded before returning his head to it's proper position, a small blush creeping across his face.

"Ok."

End Flashback

Back in the boy's bed, Gaara began to stir first. He blinked his eyes open sleepily, moving subtly as his tired, blurry vision became more clear. Gaara looked up to see Naruto still sound asleep. A tender smile crept across his face before he reached up to place a kiss against Naruto's forehead. After that, Gaara slowly disentangled himself from Naruto's grasp and got up quietly from the bed. But not before stretching out a bit.

He then walked over to the side of his dresser where a large mirror lay leaning against the wall, positioned in such a way so that the person looking into it could see their entire body. From there Gaara stared at himself for a moment.

Gaara no longer wore his tattered clothes. Now he wore very lightly colored mint green girl's pajamas. Both a pair of silky pants and a matching blouse across his torso, compliments of Hinata. Gaara himself didn't really see the point but it seemed Hinata insisted. His long, silky, knee length red hair flowed down his back and branched out to his front as well. He reached to the side and grabbed a large decorative hair-comb from the dresser. The teeth of the comb were mint green as well and it had six large, frilly, slightly darker green flowers decorating it. Gaara combed through his hair for a few minutes before putting his hair up in a bun and sticking that comb into the bundle of hair to keep it up. Another gift from Hinata. Though it seemed as if Kyuubi approved of the accessory as well.

Mini-Flashback

Gaara and Kyuubi stood opposite each other, practicing their stances. Gaara wore the comb and outfit for the first time.

"I just don't see the point of all these...accessories." Gaara stated with apprehension while keeping one leg held up high and balancing only on one toe of his other leg. Kyuubi just gave a knowing smirk.

"Remember Gaara-chan, getting what you want isn't always just about clawing through your enemies. Deception, misdirection, cunning. These are also powerful tools. People will underestimate you. And that's when you will dominate them. But I also believe Hinata just thinks you look cute dressed like that. I can't say I disagree." Kyuubi spoke while releasing a sultry chuckle.

End Flashback

Gaara held his head slightly tilted to the side while staring at himself in the mirror. It wasn't that bad. But soon he tore himself away and made his way back over to where Naruto continued to sleep peacefully. The sun was still rising and it was almost time for school. They always arrived early. Without Gaara to cuddle into, Naruto lay sprawled out on his back, his long mane of spiky blonde hair covering most of the space around him.

Gaara took a moment to enjoy Naruto's adorableness before climbing back on the bed on all fours. He climbed on top of Naruto slowly, being careful not to wake him as Gaara straddled the other boy's waist. Gaara looked down at Naruto in thought for a moment before an idea popped in his head. He then began to form a series of quick hand signs. When he finished, Gaara's hair rose up. While most of it was in a bun, much of it still hung down to about his mid back. Gaara leaned his torso down a little bit so his hair could come alive and spring forward to begin tickling Naruto's chest and armpits.

Almost instantly Naruto's eyes shut open as he erupted in a fit of laughter. He curled up and convulsed atop the bed, giggling in joy.

"Gaara-kun!" Naruto squealed in delight before making those same hand signs and having his own hair spring to life and attack Gaara right back. Gaara let out a high pitched squeal as he was overtaken, Naruto currently having more hair to work with. Naruto then leaped forward, effectively pushing Gaara off of him to instead hop on top of Gaara and pin the other boy's arms above his head. Gaara was now laying down, Naruto straddling Gaara's waist. Naruto's hair continued to tickle Gaara endlessly. Gaara couldn't help but shriek out in that tiny, high pitched voice of his.

"Ok I give, I give. Mercy Naru-kun." Gaara pleaded. Naruto smirked before allowing his hair to settle, though he still held Gaara's hands pinned above his head, never letting that smug smirk leave his face. Gaara looked up with those feral black eyes of his, panting profusely. Naruto lowered his head down to speak directly into Gaara's fluffy raccoon ears.

"Who's the best?" Naruto asked in a taunting manner. Gaara shivered a bit, biting down on his lower lip as a blush spread across his cheeks.

"You are." Gaara conceded that in a tiny whisper. Naruto's grin grew even brighter before replying in a low and deliberate tone, his fiery red slitted eyes staring intensely down into Gaara's.

"Believe it."

Naruto and Gaara flew towards the school swiftly now. They had gotten faster. Naruto took the lead with Gaara following close behind. They both adorned their long black robes, blindfolds on, their hoods pulled up. Iruka didn't bother enforcing the "no hoods" rule after getting to know everyone in the class. Their hair was of course tucked into their robes. Even when their hoods were down most of their long hair was hidden. They arrived early as always, with Hinata already waiting for them at the back of the class. She gave them a sweet little smile before standing up to let the boys into the row.

Gaara moved in first, sliding into the seat. Hinata moved in after him, followed by Naruto. Hinata was usually seated in between the boys. Naruto and Gaara then placed a hand on top of Hinata's lap and entwined their fingers, holding hands. Hinata placed both her hands on top of theirs. It was a small embrace, but one they found...comforting. They had really grown close over the months.

After some time the rest of the students began to follow in. Iruka and Mizuki entered after everyone else. And of course when Sasuke entered his fangirls began to swoon. They were promptly ignored. As the bell rang everyone had found their seats as usual, with Iruka standing in front of the class.

"Good, it seems everyone is here. Today is going to be a very exciting day. Because today, we test out your hand to hand skills, not just on practice dummies as usual, but through monitored sparring sessions." As soon as Iruka finished that class began to divulge into a series of whispers. A small smirk appeared across Sasuke's lips, a reaction which didn't go unnoticed by Ino and Sakura who began to swoon once more. Naruto and Gaara gave no reaction as usual. However Hinata had a slightly worried expression on her face. Both Naruto and Gaara caught that look. They let go of each other's hand to instead embrace Hinata's hands, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Hinata sighed in relief, giving them an appreciative smile.

"Alright settle down." Iruka instructed before motioning to the door. "We will meet out in the yard and then I will tell you your pairings. There will be two fights at a time and only two. One will be monitored by myself, and other will be monitored by Mizuki." As he said that, Mizuki just gave a small grunt from the side.

"You stop when we say stop. You will not be given your weapons. This is a hand to hand exercise. You may use any Jutsu you are capable of using at this point. Though again remember, we are sparring, not trying to kill each other." Iruka looked on the class with a stern gaze before nodding and walking out. Everyone else followed.

"Finally I get the chance to show what I got. It's about time. Right Akumaru?" Kibi said as he jumped from his seat to quickly follow after Iruka. Akamaru, who sat on top of Kiba's head, let out a happy bark.

"What a drag?" Came another apprehensive voice from Shikamaru as he tucked his hands in his pockets and followed with a slouch. Naruto, Gaara and Hinata were the last to get up except for one. Sasuke still sat in his seat, staring forward wordlessly. As the three past him, Sasuke shifted his gaze towards Naruto.

"We'll finally see who's the best." Sasuke spoke shortly, his tone calm and collected. Naruto looked towards him, watching through that blindfold. He didn't say anything. Instead Naruto just gave a small nod. Sasuke stared intensely as the three walked by. Hinata had a slightly worried expression on her face but she just continued to make her way outside. Finally Sasuke rose from his seat to follow.

By the time Naruto, Gaara, Hinata, and Sasuke made it to the yard, fights were already starting. The first fight was between Ino and Sakura. They had started out attempting to punch each other. But eventually it devolved into scratching and hair pulling. They were still pre-teens after all. Iruka let them tangle with for a while before finally breaking them up. He figured it was probably good for them to release some pent up aggression.

The next few fights after that were uneventful. Again very few students actually had any developed skill. Kiba eventually fought against Shino. Kiba came out ahead, mostly because Shino's refusal to use his actual weapons. Though Iruka did make a note of that. Iruka stood on the side with a clipboard writing notes, as did Mizuki a little while away. Though Mizuki allowed fights to continue for much longer then Iruka. Still he broke them up before too much blood was shed, though he did get a few glances from Iruku.

Gaara, Naruto, and Hinata sat off to the side under a tree. They didn't say much, though both Gaara and Naruto were taking the time to gauge the skill level of their peers. The children of the class seemed to be at a level expect of pre-teens.

"Hinata and Gaara, report." Iruka called out after a while. Hinata went wide eyed when hearing her name called, looking over to Gaara who just smiled warmly back at her.

"Let's go." Gaara spoke in a that tender tone of his. The sound of his voice once again calmed her nerves.

"Yea...let's do it." Hinata said in a hesitant manner. She was trying to be a little stronger in the presence of the boys. As they walked over to Iruka, Hinata stole a glance back at Naruto. He just gave her a small nod with a smirk on his face.

"I have to show **HIM** that I am strong. If not then I'll be seen as a liability, and I'll lose them." Hinata thought to herself while thinking back on a recent memory.

Flashback

Hinata stood at the top of a cliff overlooking an expansive sea. She peered upon it in aw. This was the first time she'd seen anything like this. All that water, waves, the sounds. It was breathtaking. Behind her Naruto and Gaara smiled as they watched Hinata take in the sights, the boys holding hands as usual. Hinata turned around to look to the demon kits with a teary gaze.

"I didn't think it would be like this." She commented in a breathless fashion. Naruto simply nodded while Gaara held a small smile across his lips.

"Yep, they've changed things a bit. Made things more homey." Naruto spoke up while grinning brightly. Hinata nodded at that before turning around again to look off to into the sea once more.

"I hope they like me." She spoke in an uncertain whisper. Gaara heard that and walked to her side, facing her. Hinata then turned to face Gaara with worry evident in her lavender pupils. Slowly Gaara leaned forward and embraced Hinata in a hug. Hinata didn't hesitate in returning that tender hold.

"You'll do fine Hinata-chan." Gaara whispered, causing Hinata to nod into his neck.

"Ok."

 **"So this is her."** Came a sultry voice from the side. Hinata jumped a bit before pulling away from Gaara and looking towards the direction of the voice. Walking her way was a tall woman in a red kimono. Her hips swinging hypnotically back and forth, the woman's movements graceful and seductive. Nine red fox tails swung hypnotically behind the figure's curvy figure. She stopped a ways away, ushering Hinata over with a small "come-hither" motion she made with her finger. Hinata hesitated for a moment before quickly scampering over to within a few feet of the woman. Hinata then bowed deeply at the waist.

"I-it is very nice to meet you." Hinata stuttered in a fluster. Kyuubi just let out an amused, chuckle.

 **"Aren't you sweet. My name is Kyuubi. I've been waiting to meet you Hinata-chan."** Kyuubi drawled out. Hinata shivered at the sound of the woman's voice. It was so...commanding, yet delicate. Finally Hinata stood back up from her bowed position, but she couldn't bring herself to look Kyuubi in the eye. Her entire body was shaking. This was THE nine tailed fox after all.

"It's...nice to meet you as well." Hinata spoke out in a barely audible voice. Kyuubi released another amused chuckle at Hinata's response before looking over to Naruto and Gaara.

 **"Your friend here is quite adorable."** Kyuubi said before watching Hinata with her intense, red slitted eyes. Naruto just grinned and began to rub the back of his head.

"Yea I guess so." Naruto replied nervously as Gaara moved back to his side and nodded.

"She really is." Gaara stated in an admiring voice.

 **"Weak is more like it."** Came a powerful voice originating from behind Kyuubi. The owner of that voice slowly walked out from the large forest which stood behind Kyuubi. Hinata visibly jumped when hearing that voice, daring to only glance up briefly to look at it's owner.

A large man with dark skin walked towards the rest of the group. He had a bulky, muscular torso. The rest of his body complimented his strong form. Adorning his legs was a pair of tattered and baggy brown pants, his chest bare. One large raccoon tail swung behind his body, the width of that appendage being twice the size of the rest of his body. He walked with his arms crossed, tribal tattoos covering his body. The man stopped right next to Kyuubi, his imposing form hovering even over Kyuubi and towering over Hinata. He looked down at her with an intense gaze, his black, starred eyes narrowed.

 **"Looks like nothing more than a weakling to protect, an anchor. She can't even look us in the eyes."** Shukaku commented in a powerful voice that caused Hinata to visibly tremble. She bit into her bottom lip and tried to gaze at Shukaku's face but one glance at his stare made her tear her eyes away instantly. Kyuubi frowned.

"Poor thing, she is just a child." Kyuubi said with a frown while looking up to Shukaku. Shukaku just continued to stare down at Hinata harshly, ignoring Kyuubi's comment. Naruto and Gaara quickly moved to Hinata's side. Gaara wrapped his arms around Hinata before disappearing from sight, removing her from the link. Naruto watched them leave before glaring up to Shukaku, having no problem with maintaining eye contact.

 **"Dad, you're an asshole."** Naruto growled with a snarl playing across his mouth. Shukaku just smirked at that.

 **"Yea kid? Well what the hell are you gonna do about it? I'm not going to let some weak..."** But before he could finish his sentence, Shukaku felt a fist hit his face, causing him to slide back on his heels. Naruto had lunged and he had no plans to stop. Naruto tackled Shukaku before they both fell into the forest. All the while Shukaku was laughing in amusement. Kyuubi just shook her head while watching them disappear.

 **"...Boys."**

End Flashback

Hinata and Gaara now stood in front of each other, both of them bowed to show respect before taking their fighting stances. Hinata began to perform hand signs before her Byakugan activated. Iruka became alarmed at that, as did a few students who were watching the fight. This was the first time most of them had seen the Byakugan in person. And everyone knew how deadly the Hyuuga's were.

"Hinata, that won't be necessary, and is much too..." But before Iruka. could finish Gaara interrupted him.

"That's alright sensei." Gaara said simply while taking his fighting stance. Gaara lifted one leg up in the air, performing a split. Raising up on his tippy toes, Gaara then outstretched his arms towards the opposite ends of his body and faced one of his palms towards Hinata, and his other palm in the other direction. Everyone could see that Gaara wore a pair of mint green, silk shoes with flowery embroidery. Another present from Hinata. Iruka gave Gaara a confused look before nodding.

"Alright then, but I'll stop the fight if it becomes too dangerous. Proceed!" As soon as he said this Hinata charged. She got to Gaara quickly and wasted no time in throwing out palm strikes. As she did bursts of chakra erupted from her hands to the surprise of many of her classmates. Gaara smiled before moving under her palm and out of the way, effectively dodging her attack.

But Hinata didn't stop. She continued her assault, throwing in kicks, palm strikes, and various other attacks, all while releasing bursts of chakra. Gaara dodged every attack with ease and grace. He weaved between her strikes, his movements made it seem like he was dancing. The fluttering of his robe made Gaara seem all the more ethereal. Many onlookers found themselves mesmerized by Gaara movements, Iruka included.

Hinata's brow was furrowed in concentration. She found herself a bit frustrated that shouldn't couldn't even touch Gaara, but she wasn't surprised. In the past weeks she'd seen what both boys were capable of. Not only that, she could see how Gaara was able to manipulate his chakra to stop her attacks from damaging his internal organs. This wasn't about winning, but showing her will to grow stronger. And she had grown stronger. While she wasn't a genius by any means, meeting Shukaku had pushed her to train even harder than before, on her own. Hell, the first time she used her Byakugan to look at Gaara and Naruto she passed out from the sheer strength of their chakra. But not anymore. Though Gaara and Naruto did learn to suppress their chakra after that incident.

Her assault continued for several minutes with Gaara never throwing out one counter strike. After a while Hinata began to pant and sweat heavily but still she didn't stop. Iruka nodded at her with a smile before raising his hand.

"That's enough. Thank you Gaara and Hinata." He said before writing some things don't in his clipboard. Almost immediately Hinata fell on all fours and began panting even heavier than before. She had exhausted much of her body's energy and her chakra. Gaara however didn't even break a sweat. He walked calmly over to Hinata and outstretched both his hand. Hinata looked up at him before giving a weak smile and taking his hands, allowing him to help her up. They then walked back to where Naruto was, under the tree. Naruto had a proud smile across his face, which caused Hinata to blush a bit when seeing it.

"You see dad? What do you have to say about that?" Naruto commented inside his own head.

 **"A decent effort. But we'll see if she maintains that drive."** Shukaku commented skeptically. Naruto just nodded his head before walking up to Hinata, who was still trying to catch her breath.

"He won't admit it, but **he's** impressed." Naruto stated proudly while looking down at Hinata. Hinata had a looking of confusion on her face before going wide eyed in realization of who Naruto was talking about and bowing her head with a small smile. Naruto then leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"I am too." Naruto said before walking forward and passed her. Hinata couldn't wipe her smile away now.

"He's proud of me." Hinata thought to herself in elation while watching Naruto walk past her.

"Naruto and Sasuke." Mizuki called out. Naruto knew he'd be called next. Besides the fight that Iruka was now overseeing, only he and Sasuke were left. Sasuke had been waiting patiently on the other side of the yard, leaning against a tree. When he heard the match-up a small smirk grew along his lips. In fact when the announcement was called everyone who weren't currently fighting began to gather by Mizuki. Iruka looked on to the scene with a worried expression. Mizuki liked to let the sparring sessions linger. But right now Iruka was already overseeing another fight.

Naruto and Sasuke stepped in front of one another, Sasuke's eyes serious and focused. Currently Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara were tied for the top position in the class, excelling at every avenue. Whether it be knowledge of jutsu, chakra control, theory, history, everything. So this was a defining moment for Sasuke. Naruto, still adorning that large robe and blindfold had his hands tucked into the sleeves of his robe. He looked in Sasuke's direction silently before giving a small bow. Sasuke, who was already in his fighting stance, hesitated for a moment before standing up and returning Naruto's bow.

"Alright alright, get on with it." Mizuki said in an impatient manner. Naruto lifted up from his bowing position before taking his arms out of his sleeves and reaching for his hood. Sasuke quickly got back in his fighting stance.

"I appreciate the respect you've shown me Sasuke. It couldn't have been easy for someone like you." Naruto spoke out, his words a bit confusing to Sasuke.

"For that, I will take this seriously, as a sign of respect." Naruto said while lowering his hood, revealing those furry fox ears. He then scooped his hands under his neck and began to pull his hair out of the confines of his robe. With a quick flick of his head and jerk of his wrist, Naruto released the long bundle of spiky hair he had been hiding from his classmates since the start of school. He now stood with his knee length golden hair covering his back. Some classmates began to whisper at the sight.

"So that's what he's been hiding under there. Sheesh that's a lot of hair." Shikamaru spoke off to the side. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not wasting any time with questions, before dashing forward to initiate the first strike. Naruto nodded before lifting a foot up and slamming it down on the ground, the impact kicking up a cloud of dust and creating a loud thunderous noise as he got into his fighting stance. That action made a few people jump.

Sasuke didn't back down however. He started with a flying jump kick aimed at Naruto's head. Naruto stepped forward into the kick and moved his arm in to block that attack, letting Sasuke's leg collide with Naruto's forearm. Sasuke gritted his teeth when feeling the hard impact of his leg against Naruto's arm. It was like hitting a rock. Sasuke then tried to turn his body so he could punch Naruto. Naruto then moved his elbow up so Sasuke's fist would collide with that elbow. Again Sasuke flinched from the impact of Naruto's rock solid muscles.

That assault continued in that fashion. Sasuke attacked and Naruto blocked those attacks head on. If not for the robes, everyone would be able to see the flexing of Naruto's muscles with each impact. And each impact made Sasuke want to strike out less and less. Naruto's body was tough, very tough.. It didn't take long for people to notice that Naruto, unlike Gaara, didn't wear any shoes. He was completely barefoot. Normally the length of his robe obscured his feet, but not today while he moved so vigorously to block Sasuke's attacks.

Gaara and Hinata watched from the side, Hinata more enthralled by the fight then Gaara. Hinata was mesmerized and amazed by Naruto's strength. She could tell that Sasuke's assault wasn't getting through at all. Gaara wasn't surprised at all. He looked at Hinata's amazed expression and couldn't help letting out a tiny, short, high pitched giggle. The sound of that innocent noise snapped Hinata out of her daze to glance over to Gaara.

"What?" Hinata asked with an embarrassed blush tinting her cheeks. Gaara shook his head softly.

"You are just so adorable." Gaara commented in a lighthearted manner. That comment only made Hinata blush more.

"But...Naruto is just so amazing." She whispered in a dreamy fashion. Gaara nodded before leaning forward from his delicate kneeling position and affectionately sweeping some hair from Hinata's face.

"Yes he is." Gaara stated simply with a gentle smile. Hinata nodded before taking Gaara's hand and entwining their fingers. She then returned her attention back to Naruto. Gaara just watched her watch Naruto. She was so cute.

By now Sasuke was getting extremely frustrated. His entire body ached from constantly having his attacks blocked by Naruto. He could tell that he wasn't getting through. Growling in annoyance Sasuke threw one more kick, which was blocked, before jumping back. The fight had gone on for some time and Mizuki showed no signs of stopped it. He just grinned from the side. The fight lasted long enough for the fight that Iruka was overseeing to be over. He was now making his way over to Mizuki to stop the fight himself. But before he could the area was engulfed in fire as Sasuke had quickly made hand signs and blew plume of fire towards Naruto. Iruka went wide eyed before attempting to jump forward to protect Naruto. But what he saw caused him to stop his tracks.

With a few short hand signs, Naruto's hair came alive. Naruto whipped his head lightly, causing his hair to slam against the plumes of red flames, dissipating that jutsu and absorbing the fire into Naruto's hair. To everyone's surprise Naruto now stood standing with his hair completely engulfed in flame.

"Naruto!" Iruka yelled from the side as he sprinted towards Naruto. But Naruto made no attempt to put his hair out. In fact he stood up straight, crossed his arms and looked towards Iruka with a calm expression.

"Be calm." Naruto spoke in an unalarmed tone. Sasuke just stared on, amazed at what he was seeing, not expecting the battle to have gone this far. This was his strongest attack. With his hair still on fire, Naruto looked at Sasuke before nodding.

"Impressive." Naruto stated simply before the red flames suddenly changed color, turning a dark blue instead. The flames then doubled in size. This caused a series of gasps to emanate from the crowd of students around. Naruto then whipped his hair to the side again. This time the flames completely disappeared, leaving his hair completely intact, however the tips of his hair were now smoking. Naruto then calmly scooped up a large portion of his hair and stuck it in his mouth before slowly sliding those strands out, coating the locks in his saliva to put out that smoke.

This sight caused a number of girls to sigh in a swooning manner, an action given little notice by Naruto. Iruka stared in shock for a while before shaking himself out of the daze and raising his hand.

"Alright that's it. We are going to end today's class a little early today, so enjoy the rest of your time off. But I expect everyone to be here on time tomorrow." Iruka announced. As soon as he did many kids began to run off, many talking about Naruto and Sasuke's fight as they did. Sasuke however just stood and and continued to stare at Naruto, even as Naruto turned around and walked back over to Hinata and Gaara. After a while Sasuke gritting his teeth in silence before making his way home, brooding to himself.

Hinata now walked up to Naruto, her expression brimming with adoration. "That...was so amazing Naruto!"

"Thanks Hinata-Chan." Naruto spoke with a bright grin showing across his face. Naruto's eyes then glanced over to Gaara, the boy's head tilting.

"Well? What did you think?" Naruto asked in an expectant manner. Gaara rolled his eyes a bit before stepping forward and moving his arms up to wrap around Naruto's neck, looking up at the taller boy with a knowing glance.

"I think you're a big show off." Gaara stated while scooping up bits of Naruto's hair and tucking those strands back down Naruto's robe. Naruto maintained that grin and wrapped his arms securely around Gaara's waist and tugged the other boy closer.

"Maybe a little." Naruto stated playfully while leaning down to rub his nose against Gaara's, sharing a little eskimo kiss. From off to the side Hinata bit into her bottom lip and couldn't help staring at the two. She stayed silent, trying not to bring attention to herself. After getting closer to the demon kits she'd learn very quickly that this was a very common occurrence. Even though she was still just a child, every time she watched the two she felt feelings she couldn't quiet identify. It was hypnotic.

"We have some extra time. A few hours. Maybe we can spend some time together before Hinata has to go home. It would be the first time we could do this during a weekday." Gaara proposed while finishing up tucking Naruto's hair away. Naruto nodded in agreement before looking past Gaara's head and over to Hinata.

"I think that's a great idea. How about you Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. Hinata quickly averted her gaze as that familiar blush burned across her face.

"Yes...I'd like that." She spoke in a slightly embarrassed tone.

Naruto nodded before suddenly picking Gaara up bridal style. An action which elicited a high pitched squeak from the red headed boy. Gaara then clung to Naruto's torso and nuzzles his face into the other boy's chest. Finally Naruto began to walk forward, Hinata moving at his side. But as he walked Naruto began to speak up.

"I know you are still there Sasuke." Naruto called out to the empty yard now. On cue Sasuke stepped out from behind a tree, his brow scrunched in a frown.

"How did you know?" Sasuke asked in a dull tone. Hinata held a surprised look in her eyes, she hadn't noticed him at all. Gaara turned his head to look to Sasuke before reaching up one hand to lightly massage one of Naruto's fox ears.

"We have very good hearing." Naruto stated in a blunt manner. Sasuke watched the two for a moment before shifting his eyes away, looking over to Hinata, who also averted her gaze.

"Yea...makes sense." Sasuke replied while trying to hide his embarrassment upon seeing how affectionate the two demon kits were.

"The answer is yes by the way." Naruto spoke up again. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean? I didn't even ask you anything." Sasuke spoke out in mild frustration. Naruto just maintained that smile before walking past Sasuke in a casual manner, still with Hinata at his side and Gaara in his arms.

"You didn't have to. Yes, we'll let you train with us. There is a lot we can teach each other." Naruto went on while continuing towards the edge of the forest.

"Well...let's go." Naruto stated in a casual manner before hopping onto the nearest branch. Hinata gave Sasuke a tentative glance before jumping up to follow Naruto. Sasuke hesitated for a moment, before nodding and moving to follow close behind.

That's the end of the chapter, please review.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Text

Declaimer: I do not own Naruto, some guy named Kishimoto Masashi does.

Ok, I'm starting my ninth chapter. Thanks for the reviews. And welcome Gaara fanclub!

Chapter 9

On with the story

The sound of heavy droplets peppered a screen of thin glass, rain showered down upon the village hidden in the leaves on this weekend morning. Inside their usual apartment, small figures laid sound asleep together as usual atop a heavily blanketed queen-sized bed. A cover of fur engulfed the sleeping bodies of Naruto and Gaara, like always they were huddled up together with Gaara's head resting against Naruto's chest. Their arms hugged each other closely, legs entwined, tails wrapped around each other's waists, their breaths coordinated as they slept.

Naruto was the first to wake. His dark, slitted red eyes slowly fluttered open before he leaned up slowly, breaking away from the tight embrace he had with his best friend. The fuzzy fox ears on top of Naruto's head twitched lightly from the sound of rain rattling against his window. He took a moment to wipe the sleep from his eyes before crawling to the center of the bed to start his morning stretches.

Naruto was half naked, only a pair of white boxers covering his skinny, yet toned body. Still being only 10 years old, the boy was still underdeveloped. Though his body was maturing faster than most other boys his age. Because he wasn't just human, but also part demon. The demonic chakra flowing through his body influenced his growth heavily. He was still as short as any normal 10 year old, but his body was more tone, his mind and senses were more sharp. By demon years, he was much more mature than his human age would suggest, and so was his best friend. Especially since, as demons, they shared and retained the memories of their parents. Naruto wasn't the only one who was changing.

Gaara's body had gone through some small changes as well. Instead of muscle developing like what was going on with Naruto, Gaara's body was taking on more...feminine features as he grew. Kyuubi's being a big influence in that. As part of his training, Gaara began to exemplify grace. That showed in his posture, the way he spoke, the way he moved and now, the way he was starting to appear. His frame, while still skinny, was taking on more feminine traits. He was more pudgy, his face more rounded, his hips growing wider. Even his hands and feet were growing slowly. While it wasn't necessary to hold a feminine figure to learn the Graceful Demon fighting styles, it did help, in more ways than one.

Plus Kyuubi and now Hinata, just couldn't help dolling him up. They'd even started to make him wear make-up. He was quickly becoming a living doll to them, not that he minded that much. Gaara was too kind and sweet to try and cut into their fun.

Naruto's best friend was currently lying sound asleep, covered by a thin white veiled blanket, courtesy of Hinata. Hinata had been using her allowance to purchase the boys many things throughout their time together.

With his stretching complete, Naruto crawled back over to where Gaara slept soundly. He slipped under that cover and straddled Gaara's waist, once again taking time to adore Gaara's adorable sleeping face.

Naruto did this quite often. The adoration he felt for his best friend was beyond words. Under that cover Gaara was wearing a two piece nightgown. A silky, light green top covered his torso, along with matching green pajama pants. The clothing was met for a girl of his age. They were actually Hinata's. And seeing as how Gaara and Hinata were pretty much the same height and size, she'd given him much of her attire. Definitely to the delight of Kyuubi and secretly to the delight of Hinata as well.

After a few long minutes of his silent watching, Naruto finally bent over while still straddling Gaara's waist. Hovering over the other boy, Naruto sent one hand down to slide his clawed fingers against Gaara's scalp, entwining those digits in the silky red hair atop his partner's head. Slowly Naruto slid his legs downward and lowered himself until he was partially laying on top of Gaara, his arm scooping under Gaara's waist and hugging him in a tight embrace, closing any distance between their bodies that they once had. The thin material of Gaara's silky top began to grind against Naruto's bare chest, the fabric wrinkling from the friction Naruto was forcing between them. That smooth garment which adorned the effeminate redhead's petite frame even began to ride up a bit on the tween's torso, slightly exposing the pale, supple skin of Gaara's belly.

Satisfied with their closeness, Naruto leaned his face up to the fuzzy raccoon ears on top of Gaara's head. Silently he delivered a tender lick to the tip. Then another, then another. And slowly Naruto's tongue began to run along the inside of that fuzzy ear, across the edge, covering every part in warm saliva. Through all this Gaara remained asleep, only stirring after a few moments of that grooming.

"Naru-kun…" Gaara whispered in a dreamy voice as he began to squirm underneath Naruto's embrace, Gaara's thighs grinding together in a bother causing his girly pajama pants to wrinkle slightly.

"Good morning Gaara-chan~" Naruto replied, putting an emphasis on "chan." A husky chuckle rumbled through Naruto's chest for a moment at the name, sending soft vibrations through the smaller boy's delicate body before he continued his affectionate grooming.

 **Flashback**

Naruto flew backwards, his feet sliding across the ground and leaving a trail of dirt in his wake. His teeth were gritted as he also sunk his claws into the ground, down on all fours. As soon as his body stopped, Shukaku come from the air, sending a bone crushing ax kick down at Naruto's head. Naruto raised both arms up and blocked the ax kicked directly, the blow causing a small crater to appear where Naruto stood.

"Rawr!" Naruto screamed while sweeping that leg to the side and jumping forward to deliver a clawed hand to Shukaku's belly. Shukaku lowered his stance to catch Naruto's hand, only to have Naruto throw his other clawed hand as well. Shukaku caught that one as well, entwining their fingers as the two engaged in a test of strength.

A little ways away two sultry figures entered into the clearing Shukaku and Naruto were currently sparing in. Both were wearing mint green female kimono's with large bands wrapped around their waists that lead to a large bow that was tied around their back. Their hips swayed back and forth with a rhythmic grace, their steps light and silent. These two were none other than Kyuubi in her human form, and Gaara walking at her side.

Kyuubi stopped a few feet away and shook her head, a subtle smirk playing across her lips. **"Look at the boys. So stressed. Why can't they ever learn to relax?"** Kyuubi asked in a teasing manner while looking down to her protege, Gaara who was at her side. Gaara covered his mouth with his long, silky sleeve, letting out a soft giggle. The end of that sleeve was long enough to stretch over his fingers and effectively hide his hand.

"Can you blame them?" Gaara asked in a tender tone. Kyuubi just shook her head at that.

 **"I guess not Gaara-chan. Let's go help them out."** Kyuubi said while walking forward towards the two sparring males. Gaara hesitated for a moment as a little blush spread across his cheeks. Kyuubi had been adding "Chan" to his name for weeks now, and he definitely knew the implications of that title. He wasn't going to fight her, but it still took some getting used to. Regardless, after a short delay Gaara moved towards Naruto as Kyuubi moved towards Shukaku.

The two males were still looked in that test of strength with their muscles flaring. Naruto was gritting his teeth and glaring daggers up to his father as Shukaku smirked down smugly down at him.

 **"Is that all you got kid?"** Shukaku taunted, which caused Naruto to release a deep throated growl and tighten his grip on his father's hands.

"I'll destroy you old man!" Naruto shouted before suddenly feeling a pair of soft hands along his shoulders. At the same time a pair of hands appeared on Shukaku's shoulders as well. Both males immediately relaxed under the touch. Gaara began to softly massage Naruto's shoulders with a delicate touch.

"Naru-kun you are so stressed, please don't over-due it." Gaara spoke in a sweet little voice. Naruto immediately melted under the touch, letting his arms fall limply at his sides. From the other side Kyuubi watched on as Shukaku had the same response to her touch. The woman looked over to Gaara with a knowing smile.

 **"You really do have a way with men Gaara-chan."** Kyuubi teased again, causing an even deeper blush to spread across Gaara's cheeks. Naruto turned his head to the side to look at Gaara who was still massaging his shoulders.

"You do Gaara-chan." Naruto agreed. Gaara's golden-starred black eyes went wide as he heard Naruto use that title.

"Not you too Naru-kun." Gaara exclaimed with a pout across his luscious, painted lips. Naruto just let out a hearty chuckle before turning around swiftly and picking Gaara up bridal style, an action which elicited a high pitched squeak from Gaara.

"I think it's fitting." Naruto stated in a genuine manner. Gaara just continued to pout before burying his face into Naruto's bare chest to hide his embarrassment. From across the way Kyuubi and Shukaku looked on while both being consumed by genuine laughter.

 **"Ok, I think that's got to stick."** Shukaku called out in amusement. He was currently sitting down with his legs crossed while Kyuubi draped her arms down his shoulder to lay her hands across his chest, still standing behind him.

 **"Of course. I'll have it no other way, right Gaara-chan?"** Kyuubi called out to the effeminate tween in an expectant manner. Gaara moved his head to the side a bit to look towards his parents with a conflicted gaze.

 **"Right Gaara-chan?"** Kyuubi insisted once more, her gaze piercing, expectant, commanding. Gaara went wide eyed before bowing his head and nodding, that blush never leaving his pale cheeks.

"Yes Mommy." Gaara whispered in a barely audible tone while still clinging to Naruto who was still carrying him bridal style, looking down with a bright smile.

 **"Good."**

End Flashback

Naruto still licked at Gaara's fluffy ear which by now was causing Gaara's body to squirm uncontrollably. Gaara brought his delicate hands up to lightly rest them against Naruto's shoulders, looking up at his partner with a panting expression.

"That feels...really good Naruto." Gaara whispered in a breathless voice as his thighs continued to grind together in a bother. Naruto just grinned brightly and continued the treatment, his body still lying partially on top of his best friend.

"I know." Naruto stated simply while raising one hand up to gently caress Gaara's other ear, the action causing Gaara's back to arch reactively as a shiver crawled up his spine. As the two boys continued their morning ritual, Gaara looked to his side with a harsh red blush spread across his face only to look into some very wide, lavender eyes.

Hinata lay barely a foot away from them, laying on her side and staring at the two boys with a matching blush on her face. She had been watching since the beginning. Half her body was covered in that thin blanket, sharing it with the other two boys. She had spent the night with them, as she has been doing in the months that have past since since Sasuke joined the group.

Being only 10 years old still, Naruto and Gaara hadn't done anything romantically serious, relative to demons. They were still children. But Hinata bore witness to their "closeness" nearly every day. And she was a bit obsessed by now. She had even began to spend the night now that Gaara knew her well enough to make a convincing enough demon-clone to take her place at home.

Spending so many nights with Gaara and Naruto had only brought the three closer together. But every morning she would bare witness to the ritual the two boys shared. They'd always get up early and "bond" for at least fifteen minutes, often times longer. This bonding session was particularly intriguing and adorable to her. She found herself always just staring silently at the two, mesmerized by the sight.

"Good morning...Hinata-chan." Gaara whispered in a his delicate, and soothing voice, his breath hitching from the feeling of Naruto still massaging his ears. Hinata averted her gaze in embarrassment, looking down before replying in a soft tone as well.

"Good morning Gaara-kun, Naru-kun." She whispered. Naruto shifted his gaze over to her before pulling back from his licking for just a moment.

"It's Gaara-chan." Naruto corrected while bringing his free hand up to sweep a few strands of Gaara's silky red hair from his face and caress Gaara's cheek with a delicate touch. "I mean, just look at this pretty face!" Naruto continued to tease innocently while looking down at his partner with a bright grin. Gaara couldn't maintained eye contact, just looking over to Hinata for help. Hinata let out a tiny giggle, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Ok, good morning Gaara-chan." Hinata called out. Gaara frowned at that while bringing both his hands up to cover his face in embarrassment.

"Not you too!" Gaara exclaimed sheepishly. Naruto and Hinata just burst into laughter at his adorable reaction.

"What's taking so long?" Came an annoyed voice from the side that caught the attention of all three kids who were currently still in bed. Sitting on the window seal with his hair and clothes drenched was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. They were so enthralled in their little morning ritual that no one heard Sasuke open the window. "It's already 9am and you all still haven't even taken a shower. Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean you should be lazy. We have training." Sasuke scolded in an annoyed tone.

"Oh don't be a party pooper." Naruto called out with a big grin while still caressing Gaara's face. "Our morning rituals are very important." Naruto continued before leaning down to place another long lick against Gaara's ear, an action which caused the smaller boy to gasp in surprise and shiver. He wasn't expecting another lick.

Sasuke just rolled his eyes. "Whatever, just hurry up. I'll be waiting at the clearing." He said before jumping off of the window ceil. Naruto just shook his head before looking over to Hinata with a smirk.

"He's so impatient. Plus I'm not done." Naruto blurted out before leaning down to nuzzle his nose against Gaara's, giving the smaller boy a little eskimo kiss.

It had been a few months since Naruto and Gaara had taken Sasuke under their fold. They had told him about being the children of Kyuubi and Shukaku. Like many kids their age, he didn't care. All Sasuke cared about was becoming strong like his big brother, so he could impress his father. Being much more free than Hinata, Sasuke trained with Naruto and Gaara every day. Showing a dedication only rivaled by Naruto himself. He'd grown much stronger under Naruto's tutelage. He'd yet to show his father the results of his training with the demon boys. But Sasuke's birthday was coming up soon. He'd be 10 in a few weeks and that's when he planned to show his father just how strong he was. But for now, he trained hard.

 **Later on that day…**

Sasuke threw a quick kick to Naruto's head, which was swiftly blocked. But Sasuke didn't relent. He swiftly followed up by spinning around on his heels to deliver another powerful kick, which was again blocked by Naruto's arm. But as soon as that kick landed Sasuke created a series of hand signs before blowing a large plume of fire directly into Naruto's face.

Naruto gritted his teeth while bringing both arms up to guard his face, though his entire body was engulfed in flame. But Sasuke still didn't relent, punching through the flame into Naruto's gut. Naruto just let out an annoyed growl while taking the blow, getting into a low horse stance as Sasuke continued his violent assault.

From the side Gaara and Hinata watched the scene, both of them kneeling down in the soft grass. Hinata was behind Gaara, playfully braiding his hair.

"Those two are at it all day every day, you'd think they'd get tired." Gaara commented while tilting his head to the side and looking onto the sparring session with a perplexed gaze. Hinata just let out a small giggle while lowering her arms to wrap around Gaara's waist, squeezing him and holding his skinny body in a tender hold from behind. She even rested her chin along his shoulder. Gaara was wearing a lavender female kimono with a flowery comb embroidering his hair. Again, an outfit straight out of Hinata's closet. Hinata herself was wearing a matching outfit. She very much enjoyed dressing Gaara up, and since Kyuubi was on her side, Gaara could do very little to stop the two obsessing female's from treating him like a doll.

Gaara let out a soft breath when feeling Hinata's secure hold around his waist. He brought one hand up to slide his fingers into Hinata's hair to enhance their tender embrace, closing his eyes in comfort as their cheeks nuzzled together. The two had become BFF's very quickly.

"Well after meeting your father, I think anyone would be motivated." Hinata said as her eyes wondered off in memory.

Flashback

Sasuke stood over a tall cliff, overlooking a vast sea. The sounds of the ocean was something he wasn't used to. He took a moment to admire it before hearing a thunderous voice echo behind him.

 **"Yet another pathetic human? Why do you keep presenting us with these weaklings son?"** Shukaku's voice thundered as he walked out from the forest towards the cliffside that Sasuke currently stood.

Naruto, Gaara, and Hinata were currently holding hands together a little bit away from Sasuke, making way as Shukaku walked past them straight for Sasuke. Sasuke turned around quickly while grabbing a kunai from his leg pocket before going wide eyed at the large sight of Shukaku's hulking figure, the man being in his human form. His large, powerful raccoon tail swayed behind him, his arms crossed across his muscular chest.

Shukuku didn't stop walking until he had corned Sasuke at the edge of the cliff. Sasuke, still being only 8 years old was shaking at this point. But he still maintained his fighting stance with his Kunai out in front of him.

"I'm not weak." Sasuke whispered in a barely audible tone while averting his gaze in fear.

 **"What? I can't hear you."** Shukaku replied in that thunderous voice while standing over the other boy, casting a large shadow over Sasuke. Gritting his teeth Sasuke looked up with a fiery gaze, clutching his kunai even tight.

"As said, I'M NOT WEAK!" Sasuke said before suddenly leaping forward to attack Shukaku, jumping up and spinning around only to plunge his shuriken into Shukaku's chest. The kunai broke immediately, to which Sasuke, not missing a beat, kicked off of Shukaku's arm, did a backflip, to land in a crouching position at the edge of the cliff and grab another kunai from his leg pouch.

Shukaku stood there the entire time unmoving, a low chuckle rolling out from his throat. **"Ok kid, you've got balls I'll give you that. But now you need to turn that talk into results. I expect you to work just as hard as Naruto. My son could use a different opponent from me and his own clones."** Shukaku stated in a commanding tone. Sasuke simply nodded and stood up straight. At that sight Shukaku narrowed his eyes.

 **"First lesson, never lower your guard!"** Shukaku said before moving at lightning speed to deliver a crushing punch to Sasuke's stomach which knocked the air out of him. Shukaku then picked the boy up by his hair and threw him into the forest. Sasuke went sailing and barely managed to turn around in mid air, landing and sliding on his feet. Sasuke spit out blood from his mouth before raising a shaky hand to wipe his lips.

"It's real?" Sasuke thought to himself before another shadow cast over him. This time Naruto stood over him, looking down with his arms crossed, standing just like his father.

 **"You're mind makes it real. Any pain you suffer hear will feel real. Which makes your training more effective. Now get up Sasuke."** Naruto commanded in a imposing tone similar to Shukaku's. With shaky knees and gritted teeth Sasuke managed to stand up, only to be kicked in the chest by Naruto, a blow that sent him flying even deeper into the forest. Naruto then ran after him to continue the pummeling.

Still near the cliff Kyuubi now walked into view, casting her glance at the forest where Naruto was beating on Sasuke. She shook her head before walking over to Gaara and Hinata who were still holding hands.

 **"Be glad that I'm the one train you two.** " Kyuubi said in a sultry tone. Gaara and Hinata just nodded their heads in tandem. Shukaku walked over to where Kyuubi was and wrapped a single arm around her waist, pulling her close to his body while looking down with his harsh gaze on the two. Gaara felt completely safe and comfortable under Shukaku's harsh gaze. Shukaku at this point pretty much considered Gaara to be his daughter, willing to give his life for Gaara's protection. The boy was rather spoiled and for all intents and purposes, treated like a princess.

Hinata looked up into Shukaku's eyes, her Byakugan blazing. Shukaku just chuckled at the sight. Hinata had grown strong.

 **"They could handle it."** Shukaku stated simply. Kyuubi looked up at the taller Shukaku before shifting to stand facing him, her hands resting against his large chest. She stood up on her tippy toes to deliver a very long and intimate kiss to his lips.

 **"Look at you, still acting all fatherly. Are you trying to turn me on?"** Kyuubi spoke in a sultry tone while wrapping her arms around Shukaku's neck. Shukaku wasted no time, placing both his large paws on Kyuubi's covered ass, the woman wearing a red dress as usual.

 **"Maybe."** Shukaku stated with a smirk before reengaging their kiss, making sure to thrust his large tongue past her lips to engage in a very sloppy, saliva-written kiss. Hinata and Gaara, still watching, had huge blushes spread across their face at the sight of Shukaku and Kyuubi's shameless display. They averted their gaze while glancing bashfully at each other.

"It's time to go train don't you think?" Hinata asked in a flustered tone. Gaara nodded swiftly in agreement before they both turned around and took off into a different part of the forest than Sasuke and Naruto, Gaara and Hinata still holding hands.

End Flashback

Naruto and Sasuke spared most of the morning in their usual secluded clearing a few miles outside of Konoha. Sasuke by now had mostly just been through endurance and chakra training. He hadn't learned any new jutsu. Quit frankly, Shukaku and Kyuubi didn't trust him enough to fully take him into the fold like they trusted Hinata. Plus, with only a few months of training, Sasuke wasn't ready to learn any advanced jutsu which would be demonic in nature. Hinata however had learned a number of demonic secrets to increase her Chakra control, Chakra strength, and even improve upon her Byakugan. With Gaara's Hinata clone covering for her, Hinata had been spending a lot more of her time with the boys.

In fact, it had been over a year since she met the demon family. Their bond was nigh unbreakable, something Kyuubi didn't ignore. While Sasuke and Naruto continued to train, Gaara and Hinata began to train as well. They trained until mid afternoon, using the rest of their day to spend with each other. Still being children, they were given time to play and relax the rest of the day. Exhausted and sweaty after their sparring session, Hinata and Gaara moved to hold hands, walking over to the center of the clearing. Sasuke threw one final punch at Naruto, who caught the punch in his hand.

"Alright, let's get a little R&R." Naruto said in a panting voice. Naruto had been training with a new training technique, a gravity seal which slowed his movements and made the sparring between him and Sasuke more of a challenge. He also trained with another Jutsu, Chakra cuffs. Naruto had to keep his Chakra at full power at all times in order to simply move around. It was a difficult feat and made fighting Sasuke all the harder. But the tough training would pay off in the long run.

Sasuke pulled his fist away from Naruto's hand and tucked his hands in his pockets. "I really don't want to. I just come here to train." Sasuke stated in a cold manner. Naruto just chuckled before reaching forward and grabbing Sasuke in a headlock.

"You whine every time Sasuke but I know you enjoy it. Stop trying to be cool." Naruto teased. Sasuke flailed a bit before finally shoving Naruto away.

"Ok jeez." Sasuke exclaimed while walking over to where Hinata and Gaara who were currently kneeling on the ground. He sat next to Gaara and took his hand, Hinata and Gaara were already holding hands, waiting patiently for Sasuke and Naruto to join. With a big grin Naruto moved over to the three, sitting down and crossing his legs while grabbing Hinata's hand and Sasuke's hand. Sitting in a circle, the four bowed their hands before their minds were taken to Shukaku and Kyuubi's cage. Or at least, the form their cage had taken.

The 4 kids appeared at the edge of that cliff overlooking the sea. Shukaku was sitting on a park bench a little ways away, still in his human form. Kyuubi and Shukaku had began to favor their human forms over demon forms because it was the best way to train their kits. Kyuubi was currently straddling Shukaku's waist. She wore her usual red dress though it was hiked up a little bit since she was currently grinding on top of Shukaku, riding him cowgirl style.

 **"Oh hey kids. Play time already?"** Shukaku called out with a nonchalant wave, his arms spread out atop the back of the bench he and Kyuubi occupied. He continued to sit there in a relaxed manner as Kyuubi continued to grind her hips against him. Though the details of their activities were blocked by the long fabric of Kyuubi's dress. Still, Hinata and Gaara's face flushed red at the sight. Sasuke just looked away, hiding his embarrassment. Naruto walked casually into the forest with his hands behind his head, unphased by the sight.

"Yep yep yep." Naruto called out casually while disappearing into the foliage. Hinata and Gaara followed closely behind in a hurried manner. Sasuke moved at a slower pace, stealing a glance over to Shukaku and Kyuubi. Shukaku sent a wink to the boy, flicking his wrist casually.

 **"Have fun."** Shukaku called out with a sly smirk across his face.

"Yea." Sasuke called out in an awkward tone while averting his gaze swiftly and disappearing into the forest. Still on top of Shukaku, Kyuubi let out a sultry chuckle while watching Sasuke disappear.

 **"Adorable."**

That's the end of that chapter. Please Review!


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